Anonymous
by FalseFacts
Summary: Someone at Headquarters has a crush on Hawkeye and at first no one thinks anything of it but when innocent letters and awkward glances turn into violence, it'll be up to Hawkeye to not only protect herself but Roy as well. Royai
1. Another Letter

**AN: Once more this story came from my dreams and my dreams are strange little things. I only own my OC and the idea. If you like it then please tell me so I know that I've caught someone's attention. Next chapter will be much longer. Please Enjoy!**

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><p>In the early afternoon at Central Headquarters and Jean Havoc was strolling down the hallway with a stack of mail in his hands. As Havoc walked towards the office, he puffed idly on his cigarette tasting the sweet nicotine. He was also looking casually through the mail.<p>

A small part of him wished that someone might have sent him something. Every now and again he could expect either a letter or a package from his parents. It was their way of telling him that he needed to visit more.

Most of it was addressed to the Colonel and they had been sent to him from a mix of adoring females and high ranking Generals. No surprise there. Then something caught hold of Havoc's attention.

He removed the cigarette from his mouth and he held it between his middle and index finger. A smirk grew upon his face. It was a letter addressed to Hawkeye.

Havoc entered the office with that same amused look. As he passed the desks of his working cohorts he saw Kain Fuery remove himself from the radio at his desk.

"Did I get any mail?" He'd been asking that all week. What he was waiting for, no body knew but it was obviously important.

"No, sorry," stated Havoc as he approached Mustang's desk and placed 5 envelopes beside his superior. "As usual the bulk of it goes to the Colonel."

Mustang shrugged arrogantly "What can I say? I'm well liked."

Fuery sighed heavily and went back to his work.

Havoc then turned to Riza as he pulled out the last letter. "It would seem that somebody likes you too."

Riza raised an eyebrow as she took hold of the envelope. She noticed that there was no return address. It would seem that Havoc was right. Someone was defiantly trying to get her to notice.

"This is the sixth letter without a return address that I've been sent within the past week." She carefully opened up the envelope and pulled out its contents. She examined the handwriting with a critical gaze. "Yes, it's definitely from the same anonymous sender."

For the past week, Riza had been receiving anonymous letters without a return address. The post office would never send a letter that didn't have a return address on it, which meant that someone within Headquarters was placing them directly into her mailbox each morning. The letters contained nothing erotic, insulting, or of an otherwise unpleasant nature and so Hawkeye had not bothered to have these letters stopped or to hunt down its writer. Being one of a few female officers in the whole of the Amestrian Military had always meant dealing perverted men and their sickening fantasies. These letters were nothing.

"Lieutenant, may I see that letter?" Mustang extended his hand as Riza gave him the letter.

As he read it over he had to place his hand over his mouth a few times in an attempt to stifle his laughter.

"What's so funny, sir?" questioned Hawkeye in her usual no-nonsense tone.

He gave her back the letter and said "This guy is pathetic. He obviously has a crush on you but instead of being a man about it and just admitting to it he's sending you these poorly written letters."

"Sir, you and I both know that the strict Fraternization Laws would prevent any soldier from admitting any attraction to another officer."

The look that she gave him tipped the others off that she was referring to someone entirely different from the person who had sent the letter. Mustang scoffed and muttered "He's still an idiot."

Little did they know the one who had sent the letter had been listening in the entire time, from behind the door. They sighed with defeat, "I'm so stupid."


	2. Seeking Advice

**AN: Alright so today (2/16/13) I awoke to discover that somehow or another the original chapter two for this story was replaced by chapter three. I have no idea how or why this happened as you can imagine I am rather ticked off right now. I did my best to re-write this chapter from memory but in all likelihood it will not sound as good as it did before. I liked this chapter too! **

**I thank you for your understanding and much needed support. I think, from now on I should make a note to save everything I write onto my USB in case of more little fuck ups like this one.**

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><p><em>Later on that day…<em>

Second Lieutenant Maria Ross was sitting down inside of Central Headquarters' lunchroom. She had spent the greater part of her morning correcting the mistakes that Denny Brosh had made on the paperwork. It had almost seemed that he had been messing up on purpose. There wasn't much in the way off food on top of her tray; just a small salad and a fruit cup. Maria hadn't been feeling well and while she thought of going home early, she worried that in her absence Brosh might bungle something else up.

As she was about to eat, she looked up from her tray and saw a familiar looking woman . She was fidgeting where she stood, as though she was unsure as to what move she should make next.

"Sergeant Colt?"

Having been noticed the woman realized that there was no going back.

"I'm…I'm sorry for bothering you, Lieutenant but may I speak with you?"

"Yes, of course." Maria made motion for Sergeant Colt to take the chair across from her.

Her name was Sergeant Sarah Colt and while she and Maria were far from friends, as her superior officer she would always be there to listen. Sergeant Colt was a dutiful and respectful soldier, who did all that was asked of her but she was also painfully introverted and lacked most social graces that one would have expected to have learned in childhood. This timid personality of hers coupled with her pageboy styled haircut had left her looking far from a proper soldier. Many had had been left to wonder what she was doing in the military and what sort of life she had lead before.

However, it wouldn't be fair to write her off so quickly. One may only hand her a gun to see that she belonged in the military. With her deadly accurate aim, Maria was confident that she would continue to climb up the ranks; she only needed to learn not to be so shy. She was young, though. She had only just turned Twenty-one last month; there would be plenty of time for her to learn.

"Lieutenant Ross…" Sarah struggled to even begin.

"Yes?"

She took a deep breath and went for it, "I need your advice."

Maria was a bit taken aback by this. She had always made a point to be helpful to both her superiors and subordinates alike but no one had ever asked for her advice before.

"What is it?"

"What do you do when you like someone?"

Maria was suddenly made rather uncomfortable by such a question.

"Don't you think that it would be more appropriate to ask someone else?"

Immediately she wished that had not said that. In all likelihood this woman probably didn't have very many, if any friends. If she did have any at all, Maria doubted very much that they were close. She wished that Brosh was there to answer such a question. He was constantly bragging about the many girlfriends he had during his teenaged years.

"You should tell him how you feel."

"I can't do that!"

Maria understood all at once.

"They're in the military." It was a statement and not a question but still Sarah responded with a meek "Yes."

"You know that the Fraternization Laws in this country are stringent and that both parties involved would be dishonorably discharged if they were ever caught. You should forget about him."

Oh but Sarah could not and she found her eyes and mind wondering in the direction of her love, who sat alone far in the back of the cafeteria. It didn't make sense to Sarah, for surely she could sit with whom ever she wished to and yet there she was at an empty table. _'If only I could join you…'_

While Maria did not notice Sarah's eyes slinking off to gaze upon the flawless beauty, whom most in the military feared for she was rumored to have been armed to the teeth at all times; she could still tell that Sarah was undoubtedly thinking of whoever it was that she had fallen for.

"What is his rank?"

"Huh?" Sarah's thoughts were yanked back to reality.

"It's ok; you don't have to tell me who they are. I just want to know their rank."

"They're a First Lieutenant."

This brought Maria into utter shock. It was one thing for an officer to secretly covet affection for another member of the military but to have a crush on someone with a rank that was four times higher than theirs, was another story all together.

"Are you sure this isn't just a case of puppy love?"

"What's 'puppy love'" She was serious.

This conversation was becoming increasingly more gauche. Maria was sitting across from a woman who had come to her for love advice because she was fawning over someone who outranked her and she didn't even know what 'puppy love' meant.

"Didn't your mother ever talk to you about things like this?"

Sarah shook her head, "My mother died when I was born."

"I'm sorry...I didn't know."

"It's alright." _'I killed her…' _"I never knew her."

Sarah's eyes began to wonder again.

"I still don't think you should pursue this. There's far too much risk involved and if you were caught Amestris would lose one of its finest snipers."

Without tearing herself away from her view of Riza she smiled softly and said, "I know but I just think it would be nice to have them feel the same way about me as I do about them. "

"I know you do and as a hard as it may be to believe, one day you'll find someone else and you'll forget all about them. "

Sarah tried desperately to envision herself not being in love with Riza but she just couldn't. There would never be a day when she wasn't on her mind. How could anyone ever forget about Riza?

"You're right, Lieutenant. Thank you for your help."

As Sarah got up to leave and to return to her work she stopped and remembered what Roy had said about her poor writing abilities and thought, _'_ _Is my writing really that bad? Maybe the bastard is right…" _

"…Lieutenant…there's one more thing I'd like to ask."

"Yes?"

"Do you know where I can find a good writer?"

"Well I used to be pretty good at writing when I was in high school…on second thought maybe you should find someone else. I don't know how good her writing is but she does read a lot. Her name's Private Sheska."

"Where can I find her?"

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><p>Meanwhile on the other side of the lunchroom, Riza Hawkeye had just finished her lunch and was preparing to return to the office. That's when Havoc, Breda, and Fuery appeared. She knew instantly that they were about to embark on some harebrained scheme as Falman was not with them. She was thankful to have at least one pragmatic member on their team.<p>

"Lieutenant, we've come up with the best idea to find out whose been sending you those anonymous letters." Stated Havoc rather proudly.

Riza sighed "Let me guess, you're going to keep an eye on the mailroom?"

"Exactly" replied Breda

"The three of you should stop being so preoccupied with my mail and get back to work."

"Oh come on, Lieutenant! Aren't you even the least bit curious as to who it might be?" questioned Havoc

"No." She turned to head out of the lunchroom door, "I'll see you all back in the office."

When she had left Havoc lit up a cigarette and turned to Breda, "Well you know what this means."

"Yeah." Spoke Breda nodding along

"No, wait. What does it mean?" asked the confused Fuery.

"It means that she's already got a boyfriend. Which is why we really do need to keep an eye on the mailroom. After all what kind of people would we be if we just let this guy go on thinking that he has a shot with Lieutenant Hawkeye?


	3. A Friendly Warning

**AN: I love how the moment you people found out it was a woman you went from calling her a stalker to an admirer lol. Boy oh boy, when you see what this girl does you won't be laughing for a long while. Of course that's not till much later…so let's just forget I said that. I have sadly gotten a virus on my computer and am having to borrow other people's computers so updates will be a bit sporadic. Sorry.**

**I apologies for any OOCness and spelling mistakes. I did kind of a rush job on this chapter. **

**Thank you: Skyethestarlitangel,** **YesMyLord666, elevenzombiezz, Mellowwy, AnimeRomantic4Ever, Silence Is Not Golden, AndAPartridgeInAGrapeTree, Mcrtrix**

**Glad to know you like it ^_^**

**Skyethestarlitangel: **I do try to keep regular updates, however this can not always be done due to the fact that I am in high school, have a life outside of the computer realm, and often suffer from writer's block. I'll do what I can and that's all I can say.

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Two weeks. It had been two long, grueling, boring weeks since the three men had started trading on and off to watch over the mailroom. Sure many people had come in and out but none had left any letters or documents of any kind in the mailbox labeled "Mustang's Unit."<p>

It was a gag title that Mustang had placed on. Originally it just said their office number; like every other box did but Mustang being Mustang insisted that his name be proudly displayed.

It would have been easier to find this guy if every officer had their own private mailbox but if they did that they'd have to remodel that tiny room. This was the sort of thing that Havoc had been left to think of as he sat, waiting for someone to show up._ 'Who is this anonymous guy, anyway? Whoever he is, he obviously doesn't know much about Hawkeye. How does he expect her to respond to his letters? He can't be dumb enough to think that she can respond to his letters without a return address…right? More importantly, when in the hell is this guy going to show up?' _

Havoc had already begun to find that this was a stupid and pointless idea; an idea that was sadly his. Feeling the urge to light up, he looked to his left and then to his right. The coast was clear. He'd been told before from those passing by and even the mailman himself, that if he were to smoke with all that paper around he'd be sure to burn the whole of headquarters down in flames.

Of course, Havoc had also been told many times that smoking would kill him; no girl likes a guy, who puffs away, and that if he wasn't careful he'd end up choking to death on the butt.

Havoc thought it was ridiculous. He was an adult; a grown man. He would be careful and even though he wasn't a genius he knew that he would be smart enough not to set the mail on fire. With no prying eyes around him, he reached into his jacket pocket and he pulled out a new pack of cigarettes. He popped open the box and he randomly selected a Lucky Strike. He placed it between his lips as he dug into another pocket and pulled out his lighter; a gift from an ex.

He flipped it open and he brought the controlled fire to the tip of his cigarette and he breathed it in deep into his lungs, sighing with comfort and relief.

"Lieutenant?" He heard a voice call to him.

In a panic Havoc quickly removed his precious cigarette from his mouth and he stomped it to death with his foot.

When he turned his attention back towards the door, he found that it was only Fuery and Breda, coming to check up on him.

"Are you ok, Lieutenant?" asked Fuery, gently.

Havoc looked down at the floor where he had destroyed his cigarette in such a pointless and foolish manner. Irritably he reached for another cigarette and said "Yeah, just peachy."

He was far from happy as began puffing away.

"Maybe you should quit those things," said Breda "All they do is make you ticked off…"

"They do not tick me off! I'm perfectly fine!"

His puffs became more frequent and he inhaled all the more deeply.

"What we came here to tell you was," Began Fuery "We've started to think that this anonymous sender isn't going to show up. Maybe we should just quit trying to find him."

They were all in agreement and as they were about to leave and get back to their actual duties, someone walked in. It was Lt. Colonel Hughes.

He strode right by them as they watched on in confusion. He removed from his jacket, an envelope and he placed it, lovingly into the Mustang Unit mailbox.

"Lieutenant Colonel!" They all shouted in unison.

Hughes turned towards them and he waved merrily "Hiya!"

They could only give him their dumbfounded expressions. "What?"

"You're the one whose been sending Hawkeye anonymous love letters?" questioned Havoc, amazed at the words he was using and to whom they were being directed to.

Fuery only shook his head solemnly "Poor Mrs. Hughes…"

"Love letters to Riza? No way! I have a darling wife whom, I could never bring myself to cheat on. How could I when she looks like this…?" He then proceeded to unravel a rather large array of photos of his wife from his wallet.

"Then what's with the letter?" questioned Breda.

Hughes pulled out the letter and held it up. "Do you mean this? This is a letter that my wonderful Elicia wrote for her Uncle Roy."

"Then why not just hand it to the Colonel directly?"

"Because lately, Roy's become all too happy to kick me out of his office." It was the truth, though Hughes had been sworn to not mention why. Roy and Riza had begun dating in secret and they looked forward to those brief moments in the office where they could be alone with each other. Hughes wanted his friend to tie the knot as soon as possible so Elicia could have a new playmate. The least he could do was allow them to be alone together.

"So what's this about Riza having an anonymous sender?"

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><p>"How can this not bother you?"<p>

They were all inside Mustang's office. Havoc, Breda, and Fuery were all at their desks. Falman had been sent out to retrieve a new stack of files.

"Why should it bother me?" retorted Roy "The guy hasn't sent a letter to her in two weeks, not to mention the fact that they were all badly written. I'd show you just how bad they were but Hawkeye already threw them out."

Hughes turned to Riza, who was sitting at her desk and doing paperwork. It was obvious that she had also been eavesdropping. "Sir, I really don't understand why you are so concerned with someone's writing abilities."

"I can't understand it either. Roy, do you remember how I was so worried that someone would try and steal away Gracia from me while I was in Ishval?"

"Of course, how could I forget?"

"Well it turns out I did have reason to worry."

Everyone in the room looked up at Hughes as he continued to speak; surprised by what he had just said.

"She had a neighbor who was always very friendly towards her," His voice was mixed with anger and disgust "When I was sent into Ishval, he only got friendlier. It got to a point where I wasn't the only one perturbed by what was going on. When I got back home, I went to interrogate him and you'll never believe what I found..."

At that very moment Falman entered the room. In his hands he carried the new stack of forums as well as a single envelope, which sat on top of the work load. Everyone's attention then turned to him and this new letter. Havoc almost dropped his cigarette; he couldn't believe it. The moment he and the others turn their back is right when the new letter got sent.

"Hey Roy! I'm trying to tell you something!" Hughes waved his arms about in Roy's face. He remained ignored.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, it would seem that another letter has arrived for you."

"Thank you." Hawkeye took hold of the envelope and opened it up. The others approached with curiosity but also with apprehension; the last thing they wanted to do was piss off Hawkeye.  
>They watched on as Riza read over her new letter and a small smile crept across her face and she let off a light laugh.<p>

"What is it?" asked Roy; feeling suddenly agitated but he was doing his best to hide it.

"It would seem that they've been taking time off to improve their writing and it's worked." Before Roy could even ask her, Riza had already handed him the letter.

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><p>Once more, behind the door Sarah was listening in. She was smiling with glee. Riza had liked it, she really liked it. <em>'Thank you, Sheska! You wonderful bookworm!'<em>

In fear of being noticed, she reluctantly left and went walking down the hallway. A small pep in her step had been added.

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><p>"Roy, Riza. I think you should try to find out who this person is. For all you know something might happen and this person will escalate from a simple anonymous sender to a vindictive stalker."<p>

Riza did not appreciate being called by her first name in a work setting and she had told Hughes this many times before. However, she could sense his honest concern for the both of them and so she refrained from scolding him; at least this once.

"Besides, the last thing you want is for something bad to happen to your girlfriend." His playful smile was back on his face; as though it had never truly left. Roy sharpened his brow and began moving Hughes out of the office. The others were left in confusion but when they went to question what they had just heard, Riza glared at them. This look she gave silenced their mouths but it only made their thoughts race.

Out in the hallway Roy and Hughes continued in their conversation.

"Relax Roy; I doubt that they would go blabbing to the officials about this."

"I'm not worried about them reporting me but you saw how they reacted to that letter. Imagine what they would do if they found out about Riza and I?"

Hughes nodded "Alright, I understand. I'm still telling you though, you need to be careful."

Roy laughed smugly "If this guy does try anything he's got The Flame Alchemist to contend with."

"I'm serious. When I went to interrogate that neighbor, I found that he had more photos of Gracia in his bedroom then I did in the whole house."

"Don't worry; I've got this under control."

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><p>As the day began to draw nearer to an end, Sarah entered the basement of Headquarters. It was there where the Shooting Range was and in this nightly ritual of hers, Sarah unlocked her locker and removed from it, her rifle. She closed it up and she looked down towards the row of lockers. She found the one that bore Riza's name and she smiled slightly. She knew that Riza was already there, firing away at the range.<p>

After she had gotten her gun and bullets, she made her way to the range. She found her area where a target had already been set up for her. A mere few feet away was Riza. Today she was practicing intensely with her .22. Riza never wore any hearing protection. Sarah had asked her once about that. She had said 'That it was not available out in the field and so in practice it would only hinder her development.'

Because of this, Sarah never wore any hearing protection either. Before she loaded her rifle, she stood there for a moment in silence. She was watching Riza in amazement. She was the very semblance of beauty and control. Her eyes remained fixed upon her target and they would not dare look else where. This was an enemy that had to be stopped at all cots; yet she held her power by not becoming angry, by simply focusing, breathing, and firing away. What was she seeing then in that instant she pulled the trigger?

It was an enemy that she was not angered by or afraid of and yet she remained determined to annihilate them.

Riza was not wearing her military jacket. Instead she was simply wearing her black short sleeve turtle neck and military pants. Without that bulky fabric, Sarah was able to get a better view of was blushing intensely, just from the mere thought of it.

She picked up her rifle and she loaded it.

After sometime of shooting, Sarah held her rifle up with one hand as she prepared to reload. She looked at her bullets; she was almost out. As she was about to reload, she saw Riza leaving.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye!" called Sarah; pretending that she hadn't seen her before.

"Hello, Sergeant Colt." Riza approached her and Sarah's nerves began to kick in.

Riza looked at Sarah's target board. "You've improved quiet a bit since the last time I saw you."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I've been practicing."

Two soldiers walked by, glances at Sarah and Riza. They spoke to each other and said "Yeah, that's the one. They say that soon enough she'll be just as good as The Hawk's Eye, maybe even better."

Both she and Riza had heard this and Sarah said "I could never be as good as you."

"Don't say that. I still have a long way to go, myself."

Sarah blinked in puzzlement. "What are yo talking about? You're perfect." Sarah began blushing at what she had just said "I mean...you're a perfect shot."

Just then Riza was approched by another officer. He saluted her and said "I'm sorry to bother you Lieutenant but there is a phone call for you from Colonel Mustang."


	4. A Disquieting Junction

**AN: I'm back! I'm sorry I got a little distracted with my new story. **

**This chapter is kind of short but the next will be much longer. I was just trying to establish the fact that this story is still active. **

**Thank you: AndAPartridgeInAGrapeTree, Mellowwy, elevenzombiezz, cool story bro, Axel19, YesMyLord666, Nutella Alchemist, xMORIARTYx, Sira-the-Awesome**

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><p>Three Days Later…<p>

Sarah sat at her desk; her back was perfectly straight as she tended to her work. Every now and again she would secretly pull back her right sleeve and scratch at her wounded wrist.

It had been trying to heal its self last night, again. Once more Sarah's nails had dug unconsciously at the scarred flesh and reopened it. She had wrapped it up in bandages and her jacket and long-sleeved shirt covered it nicely. Still she could not stop picking at it.

Her scar started at the top of her right shoulder and it traveled down to the back of her right wrist. She did everything she could to hide it from view; it was most unsightly. A mark from her father; a wound that would never heal. Unfortunately, her superior had noticed her odd fidgeting.

"What's the matter, Sergeant Colt?" It was a booming voice, which was coming from above her. It was Major Alex Louis Armstrong; the muscular bleeding heart of the Amestrian Military.

She looked up at him but found it difficult to maintain eye contact. She felt as though she'd been caught committing some heinous crime. "There's nothing wrong, sir."

He eyed her suspiciously.

'_Please don't strip, please don't strip…'_

Sensing that the Major was about to act on his habit of removing his shirt in his strange way of trying comfort those around him, Maria Ross stepped in.

"It's alright, Major. I'll talk to her."

Sarah did not wish to speak to Maria as she feared another lecture, but if she didn't follow her out into the hall then she'd be left to talk to Armstrong. She didn't want to speak to anyone. She wanted to go home.

Sarah stepped out into the hall, closing the door to the office behind her.

"Are you alright?" Maria had noticed that she had been behaving oddly all day.

"I'm fine, Lieutenant." She offered her a small smile as she positioned her foot to turn and head back into the office.

"Please tell me you haven't…done anything foolish." There was no getting out of this one and so she refrained from moving any nearer to the door. Maria was hesitant to ask but her worry was genuine.

"No, nothing's happened."

"But do you still wish it would?"  
>Silence was her only answer. She could wish and wish all she wanted to but nothing was going to happen, that was precisely what was troubling her. Foolish letters and pathetic attempts at conversation were her only connections to Riza. Sarah lacked the gusto to make anything happen. She wanted Riza as much as a person can ever want anything in their lives but at the same time she feared the prospect of a real relationship. Fear had always held her back. Riza had no fears; she was perfection incarnate.<p>

"I can't stop you but I want you to try and think about what you'd be giving up if something went wrong and you were caught. You're an amazing sniper and Amestris needs your skills."

'_Riza is better…Riza will always be better…'_

"Thank you for your concern, Lieutenant. I sincerely doubt that they feel the same way that I do but even if that small chance exists, I have to try. I promise you that if anything should go awry, that I will take full responsibility for my actions."

This was far from the response that Maria had hoped to hear but it would be the only one she would ever get. The military had simply been an escape from what was; Riza was a chance for something new.

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><p>It was the end of another long day at Headquarters. The sun was beginning to slink off into the distance and the Mustang Unit office was painted with a wild array of oranges, yellow, pinks, and reds. A Crow sounded off as it flew from one tree to another.<p>

Breda cracked his neck, Havoc yawned, and Fuery clicked off his radio. Roy seemed well prepared to leave as well. With a casual smirk he removed himself from his chair, grabbed his coat, and…

"Sir, where do you think you're going?"

Riza eyed him crossly and while Havoc and the others knew what was coming next, Roy acted completely oblivious to it. Ever since Hughes had let the word "girlfriend" slip his tongue, Havoc and the others had begun to take serious interest in the interactions that took place between their 1st Lieutenant and her Colonel. There was something that had always existed between the two of them but it had suddenly developed into something much stronger; something much too obvious.

They knew better then to say such things out loud but those tiny gears in their heads never stopped moving. Lately Roy and Riza had been playing this sort of game with each other. Around the time that they were all about to pack up for the day, Roy would attempt to leave even though he clearly knew that he had yet to finish his work. Riza would then scold him, he would throw a hissy fit but it wouldn't work, he'd then try to subtly charm her, and then she'd give in and agree to stay behind and help him finish it up.

That's exactly what was happening then. How daft did they think they were?

Riza sighed heavily "I'll stay behind and help you finish up."

Roy smiled like a kid does when their parents give in and buy them that new toy.

"The rest of you can go home."  
>Fuery tried to get up but Havoc pulled him back down. "Oh no it's ok, chief. We'd love to help out too."<p>

"It's alright Havoc, you should go home." Said Riza as she tried to ease him and the others away.

"Hawkeye, I'm ok with helping out. In fact we all are, right?"

Breda nodded but Fuery just sat there feeling put on the spot. Havoc nudged him slightly and he responded with "Uh-yeah that's right. It wouldn't be fair for you to get stuck here for another night."

Riza knew that the ring leader was obviously Havoc and so she turned to him and said "I said that it's fine. You can go home." She shot him her best death glare and the message was received by the group rather quickly. Without another word the trio grabbed their things and bolted out the door.

When they were certain that they had indeed left, they turned to one another; things had gotten far too palpable.

"Roy…"

The way she spoke his name made it sound sacred as she only dared to utter it when they were in private. It was only then that they could truly be themselves, removed from duty and titles, they became simple people.

"Roy, they've already caught on. If our relationship is that evident then others will soon begin to notice as well."

The trouble was they were not simple people, if anyone outside of their office were to catch wind of what they were doing it would coast them everything. Years of work could be destroyed in a matter of minutes, should they dare throw caution to the wind.

"I guess we'll have to find another reason to leave together."

It was a shame because this way was the most convenient.

"Well shall we?"

"Sir, I think you're forgetting about something." 'Sir' meant that it was back to work. She was pointing over to a stack of unfinished forms. He grumbled slightly. It was always work first and fun afterwards. At least he had company.

* * *

><p>Sarah waited outside the Investigations Department office for Sheska to come out. She shrunk under glances of those who passed her by. Unconsciously she scratched away at her wrist and only stopped when she felt warm liquid seep out of her now irritated flesh. She tightened her bandage around the open area. Then she saw Sheska exit the room.<p>

"Hello Sheska."

Sheska was startled to hear her name called as she had not noticed Sarah's presence.

"Oh! Hello Sergeant Colt." She saluted her instinctively. Sarah made motion for her to stop.

"I told you before, you can call me Sarah."  
>"Right, Sarah"<p>

"Would you mind if I walked with you?"

"No, no, not at all."

Sarah allowed Sheska to lead the way while she tried to get her thoughts in the right order.

"I wanted to thank you for the writing tips that you gave me."

"It was nothing really, just something I picked up from a book. Did your writer friend finish his book yet?"

Not yet but things are going much better for him, lately."

Sarah had lied to Sheska about why she needed writing tips. She had told her that her friend was a struggling novelist, who had been suffering terribly from a case of writer's block and that he was in need of some helpful tips to get his writing to flow better. She bought every word of it and oddly enough the same tips for writing a novel also work well with writing letters.

"I want to ask you for your help again."

"My help? All my answers come from books."

"How many books do you have?" asked Sarah, half jokingly.

Sheska stopped walking as she mentally made her calculations. Sarah watched her incredulously as she replied "2,670. I used to have so much more but I was forced to sell them because my small home can only fit so many." Her sentiment of loss was sincere and it made Sarah laugh.

"What? Was it something I said?"

"You're a very interesting person, Sheska."

They continued to walk down the hall together, and then they passed by Mustang's office. As they strode by Sarah heard something faint but still present. She stopped for a moment. It was a laugh; no, it was more like a giggle. It was Riza. Then it was followed by a deeper chuckling sound. It was Roy.

It was innocent enough, really. They were just laughing, talking, and smiling. Still she could not see behind the closed doors and that alone was enough to trouble her. Why were they still in the office? Why were they alone together? Why were they laughing?

Sarah was tense and her fists clenched and all at once she became filled with such rage, jealousy, and hate…sheer and undying hatred towards this man who could make her Riza laugh so sweetly. All she had to do was bust open that door and whip out her gun from her holster. She could do it. She could kill Mustang so easily. Alchemist or not he was still only human.

"Uh…Sarah?" Sheska called her timidly.

"Yes?" She said, not moving away from the door.

"I…was saying that if you wanted to you could come to my house and barrow some books. They might have the answers you're looking for."

Sarah closed her eyes and counted back from 10. The laughing had stopped and all she could her now was a pen signing away on papers. She reopened her eyes, calmer now.

"Yes, I think that be good idea."

* * *

><p><strong>EN: In the next chapter Sarah get's the answer to her question (you'll find out what it is) and takes it a little to far as her curiosity gets the better of her. She's about two chapters away from being ready to go to the looney bin. <strong>


	5. Confidence

**AN: I have been away from FF for the following reasons: I have to write the script for my Forensics Project because we are doing a movie; I also have to get everyone together and find time to film, which is easier said then done. I also have to write the script for my friend's animated movie because she needs to get a good grade in her animation class. I was also assigned a rather long English project in which I have to talk about the negative affects of Pr-ana and Pro-mia sites. **

**I also have to get moving on making my shadows for my Pride costume before Zenkaikon…ugh!**

**So far the only thing I've been able to actually finish was my Eulogy that I had to write for my Public Speaking class. Can you guess who I wrote it for? Yep, I did a eulogy for Maes Hughes.**

**It has just been brought to my attention that in the last chapter I made Sarah a bit OOC, it is a sad day when your own character doesn't sound the way you meant them too. I am going to try my damndest to not do that again. I really hate OOCness, I truly do. I remember once reading this story in which Riza had turned into a shop-a-holic who loved to gossip about the military boys. It was deeply disturbing O_o**

**My point being that I don't want to expose you to that sort of thing.**

**Thank you: YesMyLord666, AndAPartridgeInAGrapeTree, PhoenixNoTreble, Sira-the-Awesome, Mellowwy, Elite-chan, XxXPeaceReaperXxX, Sniper Riza Hawkeye, anon0, GasmaskedMook**

* * *

><p>The walk over to Sheska's home was fairly short but it seemed longer in Sarah's mind. Her thoughts still lingered on what she had head at Headquarters. There was something between those two—Riza and Mustang—and while a part of her was already convinced that there existed a sexual relationship, the other half of her mind was still in firm denial.<p>

"_Riza is too good for him." _Sarah reasoned

As they walked Sheska's mind was also deep in thought. She wondered what sort of help Sarah needed or why on Earth anyone would ask her of all people. Sheska made brief glances at her awkward and notably troubled companion but did not attempt to pull her away from her thoughts for said companion still bared two stars on their epaulette.

When they reached Sheska's home, they walked up the front steps and Sheska removed her key from her coat pocket. She stuck the key into the hole and turned it. She opened the door, reached her hand inside, and felt over the wall for the light switch. When the lights came on Sarah got her first view of Sheska's mini library.

Her entire home was nothing but wall to wall books. They towered over their heads as they squeezed in through the front door. There were a variety of titles and genres and they were all packed one on top of the other, creating the illusion of aisles. It was difficult to tell the older books from the newer ones as their spines were all well worn form the love that they had received from their neurotic owner.

"_She wasn't joking…" _

Sarah looked about her with a mix of awe and utter shock but she was quick to readjust her expression back to its muted self, as Sheska turned to her; perplexed.

"I know it's a bit much, you can say it. I'm a bookworm."

It was true that Sarah had in fact been quietly referring to Sheska as "Bookworm" in her head and she had heard others at Headquarters refer to her by that title and very openly too. It was then that Sarah saw how ridiculous it was for her to be there. In all likelihood none of these books in Sheska's home would carry in it the information she needed. Even if they did, in such a mess as this it would not be easy to find.

That was the queerest part about Sheska; she was a hoarder of books but lacked the compulsion to organize them in some fashion. Surely a bookworm would have tried to take better care of her books.

Still Sarah felt the need to remain there for a while. Maria Ross was a wonderful superior but she would never give her the advice that she was so desperately seeking and she could no longer go on day after day with such minimal contact between herself and Riza. In those letters lay the most honest account of Sarah's feelings and thoughts and what she wanted now was to be able to simply say those very words that she had written to Riza.

"There's nothing wrong with it. You have a passion and unlike most people you display it openly…I can't say anything against it…"

There was a long and silent pause that passed between them.

"What sort of information are you looking for?"

Perhaps it was because Sheska and she were so much alike with their mousey demeanor, or perhaps it was because Sarah knew that Sheska would be the last person in the world to tell on her, but either way in that moment Sarah wanted to release herself from the secret she carried. She wanted to be able to tell at least one person that she was in the midst of dealing with the pain that comes from unrequited love.

"It's just…do you recall my writer friend?" Her cheeks were already becoming flushed. Could she actually tell someone? Should she tell someone?

"Yes…?"

"Well…I…I" she stammered heavily.

If she were to tell Sheska the whole truth, would that not make them friends? Would Sheska act unexpectedly and tell someone else? Would she tell her boss, who was said to be Colonel Mustang's best friend? Or would she go and tell Riza?

Her heart was beating faster and faster. What was she doing here? She should have simply gone right home. She should never have even spoken to Sheska. She was a snitch, a damn dirty snitch.

"He…well…he…uhhh"

She realized that what she thinking was simply untrue. She had not spent much time around Sheska before but from what she observed Sheska was a very sweet woman, whom due to respect and fear of someone with a superior rank would not dare rat Sarah out.

If she did choose to confide in Sheska then that would ultimately make Sheska the first friend Sarah had made in Central. It was not as though she had never had friends before. When she was younger and still residing in Pendleton with her father she had many friends. As the years progressed in its endless march, her so called friends began to dwindle away. She was fifteen when the last of her friends quietly walked off.

They had parted without words and without closure but Sarah knew that it had been her fault. Friends were meant to be close; without any secrets between the two. Sarah had struggled to gain such closeness with the other children in her town but all too often she found that her mouth could not be moved to speak; to speak of secrets and truths.

Could she now after so many years disclose the whole truth of herself to someone?

She cleared her throat as she began, "He doesn't actually exist."

"What?" questioned Sheska

"The truth is…the truth is I asked for writing tips because I'm the one who can't write properly." The art of personal expression had never been her forte.

"Oh! So you're the one writing a novel." Spoke Sheska as she thought that she was now finally grasping why these words were so difficult for Sarah to say.

"No…It's not quite like that…"

"Huh? I…I'm afraid I don't understand."

She had brought this discomfited conversation upon herself and was now slowly regretting it, yet the prospect of finally being able to open up with another human being continued to entice her.

She squeezed onto her right arm; trying to fight the urge to dig at her scarred flesh.

"It doesn't matter what I mean. The point is I need to learn how to be….how to be more confident and unless you have anything on the subject I'll be going now. Excuse me." Her tone was harsh and it may have been seen as a bold move on her part if it were not for the fact that her eyes had remained fixed upon her shoes.

As Sarah moved to turn away and try to find her way out of the maze, Sheska stopped her.

"I…actually do have something."

Sarah paused as she thought _'It couldn't be very useful then.'_

"It wasn't very helpful though. The woman who wrote it really didn't know what she was talking about."

_'Still what harm could it do?'_

"May I borrow it?"

"Of course but I could just tell you that it…"  
>Sarah shook her head "I just want to borrow the book."<p>

"Wait one moment." She went off into a pile of books and as she did a small paperback caught Sarah's attention.

It was just resting on a smaller stack and the book it's self was smaller then most. She could not dare ask to borrow it, the title alone made it seems as though Sarah was up to no good. Sarah quickly swiped it from the pile and placed it inside her jacket and held it there close to her heart. Her face burning up at the mere thought of having taken something without permission. If her father knew what she was up to…

"I've got it!"

Sheska handed her the book and Sarah thanked her, smiling with a mix of terror and excitement as she was certain that Sheska already knew what she had done.

"I'll be sure to return it to you when I've finished. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

When the door closed behind Sarah, she felt the coldness of the night air hit her scarlet face. She could breathe again. Sheska and she were not to be friends and yet she could already sense that she would be returning to Sheska's home.

* * *

><p>Upon returning to her own apartment, she turned on the lights and stepped inside of her modest dwelling. Military owned apartments were never anything special.<p>

Sarah removed from her jacket, the book which she had been too ashamed to ask Sheska for. It was called "The Art of Lock Picking". Sheska sure did have some very interesting books at her disposal.

She placed the book on the small wooden table near the couch. She then sat down with the other book and opened it. With the first sentence something clicked in Sarah's mind.

* * *

><p>For the next three weeks Sarah kept a watchful eye over Roy and her beloved Riza. In part it was to learn how to be strong enough to speak openly with Riza but it also served another purpose; to find out how close this superior was with his subordinate.<p>

Yes, as Sheska said that book that she had given Sarah was full of nothing but advice on stalking and words of encouragement to soothe any troubled mind that saw any wrong in following the book's advice. It had all be so cleverly hidden under the title of "The Art of Confidence."

Whoever the author was, they were certainly mad. Sheska had been smart enough to see how useless the content in the book would be to any sensible person, which is why she saw no harm in giving the book to Sarah. For surely Sarah was sensible as well.

In truth there was a part of Sarah's mind that saw the sickness of trailing two people around in secret but her heart was not connecting to the sights before her.

She was in love. She needed to do this to grasp even a portion of Roy's over bloated level of confidence and to finally be able to speak candidly with Riza. Besides true problems interfere with ones work ethic and Sarah continued to perform all of her necessary office duties. No interference meant that there was no problem.

The book said that the best way to learn confidence was to emulate the most confident person you could find and Roy was certainly that.

It disgusted Sarah to no end to find just how much of the rumors about the infamous Lieutenant Colonel Mustang were true. He did leave his work for his men to do, especially poor Riza. He did strut around with an undeserved level of self satisfaction and he did live and breathe for any ounce of attention that he could get from the female officers.

What she was waiting for was that sound of laughter. That same laughter which had first led her to suspect something unsavory was happening.

One night she heard it as she was on her way out of Headquarters. It had caught her off guard as it had the first time and that is when she decided to take this voyeuristic game of hers out into the real world.

After the laughter in the office had died down, Roy was the first to leave. A short while later Riza came out. They both left Headquarters from different exits and their cars were parked at opposite ends.

Clearly this was Roy's attempt at trying to hide the obvious from view and the more they went out of their way to avoid one another the more alarmed Sarah became.

She decided it would be best to follow Roy as Riza was the one with eyes at the back of her head and she would surely catch on that someone was behind her. Even during her normal stalking routine, Riza had almost caught her on far too many occasions to name.

The fact that she had yet to be caught was a miracle in its self. The last thing she needed was for Riza to think she was creepy.

She trailed Roy to his apartment building but remained outside and across the street. Roughly 15 minutes or so later he came outside and got back in his car. He was wearing a suit instead of his uniform. She watched from afar as he drove to a rather expensive looking restaurant. He was looking rather glum.

Sarah wondered why and the best she could figure was that Roy was wishing that he could have simply met up with Riza at her apartment, like normal couples do. Sarah may have felt a bit sorry for him, if she wasn't so disgusted by him.

Sitting at the table, waiting for Roy was Riza. She wore a sleek black dress with a flattering neckline, yet she kept her very fashionable jacket on. This too confused Sarah. She watched from across the way as Roy's frown faded at the site of his Lieutenant and it was all too obvious as to what was truly happening. Sarah was in the midst of a love tangle of sorts and none of it made any sense to her.

Riza was a strong and beautiful woman who could easily have anyone that she so desired and yet of all the men and women in Central she chose the one who made her do his paperwork, who fell asleep at his desk constantly, and had been seen on numerous occasions with woman from a hosts bar run by a 'Madame Christmas'. None of it made sense. What the hell was Riza thinking?

Sarah knew that she had little to offer Riza herself but she was certain of one thing and that was, she would never do anything to hurt her. Roy on the other had was just the sort who was destined to break any woman's heart.

_'What are you doing? Why him? Why...'_

In that moment Sarah felt so completely useless and so disheartened. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. Riza had a chance to find someone good; a chance to be happy and yet...yet she was going for a man who represented the exact opposite.

Then she watched as they kissed. Tears began to fall down her reddened cheeks, in anger and despair. She looked away to where a small general store was and in the moment she found clarity. The kind of clarity that can only be described as the kind that serial killers must feel when they first discover the joys of taking a life. How the world just finally makes sense. The confusion and chaos are obliterated and all that remains is the new end goal.  
>Yes, that's exactly how Sarah felt then.<p>

She went into the general store in a trance like state. She grabbed a large box of matches from one of the shelves and placed it on top of the cash register counter.

The woman who was running the register gave her an odd look but did not bother to ask why she'd been crying, for it was very clear that she had been.

Afterwords her motions were like clockwork. She found Roy's car parked behind the restaurant and she removed a match from the box.

His car was not your run of the mill Model T. It had a custom paint job and leather seats. Roy had bought it himself and it sure was a nice car.

She struck the match on the side of the box and tossed it into the car; it's windows had been foolishly left down. She then tossed in the rest of the matches and watched as the car seats were swallowed up by the flames.

She then walked casually away, still in a daze.

Sarah gave an inward laugh in her head as she thought _"Oh what would my father say?"_

* * *

><p><strong>EN: This chapter was a bit too much of Sarah doing this and that, so the next chapter I'm going back to writing it in a way were everybody get's their fair share of the limelight.<br>**

**I apologize and yes the next chapter will be better, I promise.  
><strong>


	6. Women Can Be Strange Too

**AN: It's funny how despite my own lack of confidence in the last chapter, people still seemed to enjoy it. **

**My friend, Amanda is like that too with her art. No matter how many times we tell her how fantastic her drawings are she's convinced they look like shit. Anyway let's hope this chapter goes better for us both. **

**I'd like you all to keep in mind that this story takes place in the early 20th century and at this point the term "lesbian" was not widely known or used. That is why the notion of a female being Riza's stalker sounds absolutely ludicrous in the minds of the other characters. That being said homosexuality involving men has been more commonly recognized, hence why more people even in the early 1900s would be aware of its existence. **

**I really hope Riza doesn't come off as being OOC in this chapter. Please tell me if she is. I will go back over it and fix the spelling mistakes as soon as I can but I'm going out pretty soon. **

**Thank You: AndAPartridgeInAGrapeTree, InsecureLemon, Eli White, YesMyLord666, XxXPeaceReaperXxX (No, your review didn't blow ^_^), DisillusionedNight, Mcrtrix (Yes, RIP Roy's car), cassual reader, Sniper Riza Hawkeye, maristhesealatin**

* * *

><p>In the early morning hours of the next day, Roy came out of his apartment building. His crisp, clean uniform suggested that he was ready to head off to work while the dark circles that were growing under his eyes suggested that he was ready to hit the sack at any given moment.<p>

Parked right out front was Hughes, he honked his car horn once to be sure to get Roy's fading attention and gave him a friendly shout "Morning' Roy!"

At this point Roy might as well of been hung over for lack of sleep coupled with Hughes' cheeriness was producing the same effect on him as it would with someone who'd been out drinking all the night prior.

Roy gave his friend a slight wave of his hand, as though shooing a pesky bug away.

"Good morning, Hughes." Roy opened the car door and crawled into the passengers' seat.

Hughes turned to him and held up a small basket, which apparently had been resting between the two seats the whole time. "Look what Gracia made!"

Out of mild curiosity, Roy uncovered what lay beneath the cloth top and the smell of blueberries hit him. They were blueberry muffins.

"Gracia figured that you wouldn't be eating anything this morning, so she made these just for you."

Roy smiled slightly, he wasn't hungry but he didn't want to be rude so he took one from the basket. Gracia truly was a sweet woman, who always seemed to be thinking about anyone other than herself.

Roy buckled himself in as Hughes turned on the ignition. "So what happened to your car?" he was still smiling.

"It burnt to a crisp. What's got you so happy?"

"I get to carpool with my best friend, why wouldn't I be happy? Although correct me if I'm wrong but couldn't you just have used some sort of Alchemy to fix it or to put the fire out?"

Roy grumbled slightly "If I had known that the damn thing was on fire, I would have rushed out and done something about it but no one bothered to tell me until after one of the waiters had run outside to try and put it out. If it wasn't for him I would have been able to make the car good as new but apparently no one told him that alcohol is extremely flammable. The whole thing just…" Roy made an explosion motion with his hands.

As tempted as Hughes was to laugh, he simply shook his head.

"I told you to be careful."

"Are you saying that it's my fault that some psycho burnt my car?" snapped Roy, he was not in a good mood at all.

"It was, if it really was Riza's anonymous sender. It means that you did something that they saw and it sent them over the edge and straight into phase two."

Roy cocked his head slightly "Phase two?"

"After working in the investigations department for all these years…" stated Hughes, attempting to make it seem like he had worked there far longer then he actually had. A dumb and pointless idea on his part as it was Roy who had made sure that Hughes got the position all of two and ½ years ago.

"…and of course, dealing with Gracia's stalker, I've found that stalkers don't start out as violent people. The first phase it's simple things like sending anonymous letters or presents, I like to call this the "Secret Admirer Stage."

Roy chuckled "What are you doing, writing a book?"

"Do you think I should?" beamed Hughes, as he took his eyes off the road for a split second. The look on Roy's face made it very apparent that he was just being his usual snarky self.

"Anyway, phase two is extremely dangerous and the trigger for this is almost always caused by the victim's boyfriend…"  
>"Riza isn't a victim."<p>

"In a case like this, she is." He stated seriously. "In this phase it is very common for the stalker to set something that the boyfriend cares about on fire, in this case your car."

"What did Gracia's stalker burn?"

"…It doesn't matter." Hughes said slowly "The point is that now is the time to find this guy before he get's to phase three."

"What happens during phase three?"

"That's when, if they have any sort of conscience left, they begin to wonder whether or not they should kill you."

"What if they don't have a conscience?" questioned Roy, already sensing the answer.

"Then they go right to the last phase, "The Decision"." He stated solemnly "So like I said before, you and Riza need to be carful."

Roy sighed heavily, this was serious. Normally Roy would not be this worried but if they could light his car up without him noticing or tail him on what was supposed to be a secret date with Riza, it meant that this guy would also be capable of attacking him directly before Roy could so much as flinch. If he didn't act soon then this stalker could end up killing him…or someone else. He had to find out who the sick bastard was.

Upon arrival at Headquarters Hughes parked the car and turned to Roy "Remember be careful or you won't be able to have the honor of having the most beautiful flower girl at your wedding!" He took out his wallet and shoved it at Roy's face. When Roy was able to back away far enough from the image, he saw that it was yet another photo of Elicia. She was all dressed up and tossing flower petals around the apartment.

"Uh, Hughes? I'm not an expert of toddler fashion but isn't that dress just a bit small?" he said pointing to the picture.

"Gracia sewed it a year ago. It would have fit perfectly then but **somebody **had to wait another whole year before finally asking out the love of their lives!"

* * *

><p>Being that it was still early in the morning the Phone Room was almost completely vacant save for a lone secretary, whose job was to monitor how much personal time those using the phones were taking up.<p>

Riza Hawkeye reluctantly walked into the room. She had been told that Rebecca was on the line, waiting for her. It wasn't that Riza didn't want to talk to Rebecca, after all they were best friends and yet they hardly ever spoke. These rare chances to speak to one another were always looked forward to but Riza's mind was on high alert and even a casual conversation would be difficult for Riza to focus on.

She kept thinking about the car, not because she personally cared about something so trivial but because someone was able to get that close to Roy and destroy something that he cared about. Someone had been following them, stalking them from the shadows and Riza hadn't noticed.

No, she had noticed it; that was the true problem. She had been feeling a strange pair of eyes following her for a long while now and yet she never could catch them. Riza's job since Ishval had been to watch over and to protect Roy's back the same way he had protected hers and yet she couldn't even lock eyes with her own stalker.

She had to find them. She had to find them soon.

Riza picked up one of the phones, "Hello?"

"Hey Riza!" came the boisterous voice of Rebecca.

Rebecca went on for a while about her latest boyfriend troubles, which were really just the same problems that she was always facing. She was setting her bar far too high for any man to meet. The only one who came anywhere close to the sort of guy she was looking for was Havoc.

While Rebecca held her almost entirely one sided conversation, Riza's mind went back to those anonymous letters. She had lied to Roy when she said that she had thrown them out, in fact she had kept every one of them. She was not entirely sure of the reason herself; she had never been very analytical. Perhaps she had kept them because of how unnerving they were…how eerily similar, especially the first few.

In them they described the disconnection that they felt from other and of how people in their lives just had a way of disappearing on them. It reminded Riza of her school days…of the days spent with her father…

"Hello? Riza? Are you listening to me?"

"I'm sorry. I'd like to talk to you but the Colonel…" She was cut off

"What's happened?"

Given that they were talking on a military line and their calls were undoubtedly being listened to she could not say much. She told Rebecca that Roy's car had gone up in flames and that someone had been sending her anonymous letters. She left it up to Rebecca to connect the dots.

"Oh, so you've got secret admirer, huh? Be careful if a guy doesn't have the guts to go up to you and ask you out, then he's no good and probably ugly."

Riza smiled lightly

"Hey maybe it isn't even a guy. Maybe it's a woman."

"What do you mean?" questioned Riza

"Well I know this guy, I'm not going to say who but he's "living" with another man so maybe the real reason why this person hasn't said anything to you directly is because they're a woman. After all if two guys can fall in love then why not two women?"

Riza had never considered this possibility but as she thought it over, the more sense it made. Could her anonymous be a woman?

* * *

><p>After saying goodbye to Rebecca, Riza hung up the phone and made her way back into the office. The letters that she had received suggested that the sender's motivation was loneliness and not lust, so perhaps it was a woman. Could someone who wrote kind words and held such intense thoughts of sorrow truly be capable of violence? It was clear that if left alone they would be sure to strike again but how far would they go?<p>

Upon entering the office she found Havoc, Breda, and Fuery munching away at the muffins that Mrs. Hughes had baked. Roy was sitting at his desk with Hughes leaning over him, they were examining several files.

"What are you doing, sir?"

Roy looked up at his Lieutenant, Havoc approached Hawkeye and asked if she wanted a muffin, she declined.

"I'm trying to figure out who destroyed my car. These files contain every arson report within the last month as well as a list of all possible suspects."

That was why Hughes was still standing around. He had brought the files over from the investigations department and was now helping Roy weed through the possible suspects.

Then something caught Riza's attention. She approached Roy's desk and held up one of the files. "Sir, isn't this Sergeant Brosh's personal file?"

"Yes, I still haven't ruled out the possibility that whoever it was that burnt my car may very well be the same person who has been sending you anonymous letters."

"And you suspect Sergeant Brosh?"

"Yes."

It was more then clear that Roy knew that this wasn't some random arsonist and that his real focus would be on any man in the military who had so much as glanced at Riza.

"Sir, the person you are looking for may very well be just an arsonist or perhaps it is someone that you've never considered before."

"What do you mean?"

"I was just on the phone with Second Lieutenant Catalina, I mentioned the anonymous letters and she seems to think that the sender may in fact be a woman."

The room became quite for a time as the thought ran through their minds. Fuery turned to Havoc and whispered "How would that work?"

"I don't know." Confessed Havoc

Havoc, Breda, and Fuery turned to Mustang with quizzical looks.

"Don't look at me. I grew up above a hostess bar and even I don't know how it works." Stated Mustang sternly.

It seemed that the only one who wasn't trying to figure out how sex between two women would work was Hughes, who said "Actually that does make sense. I'm surprised I didn't think of it before. Where does Lieutenant Catalina live?"

"She is stationed at the Eastern Command Center."

"Well that rules her out. Are there any other females that you are close to?"

Riza hated discussing anything personal within in the office. At Headquarters she was Lieutenant Hawkeye, a practically robotic arsenal and automatic bodyguard who would kill anyone who threatened Roy and his goal of becoming Fuhrer. Outside she was simply Riza, a quiet woman who lived with her dog, went grocery shopping on the weekends, and was deeply in love with her childhood friend. Riza needed that division to remind herself that she was an individual. Her decisions were her own and not the military's, Roy's, or her father's.

"Not that it is any of your business but no."

Riza detested the look that Hughes was giving her; it was one of sheer pity.

"Gracia has trouble meeting people too; maybe you two should get together and go shopping or something."

"With all do respect, Lieutenant Colonel, I can find my own friends."

* * *

><p>Later that day Riza had gone down to the shooting range for practice. She was still on edge with thoughts circling around her mind as to who her stalker might be. Now that Rebecca and Hughes had suggested that it may be a woman the list of possible suspects were endless.<p>

She took aim with her rifle and pointed it at the target board. She pulled the trigger. She was off.

Riza hadn't completely missed but the difference between were she had been aiming and where the bullet had hit was noticeable to her and anyone else with a trained eye. She wasn't the type to get frustrated and throw a hissy fit over a bad shot but she was disappointed in herself. If she let her emotions get the better of her then she would never be able to protect Roy and if she wasn't watching over him then all sorts of bad things could happen.

When they were reunited in Ishval, he had almost gotten stabbed to death simply because he wasn't watching his back for signs of the enemy. It was as though he had been expecting her to watch over him from the very beginning.

Riza felt someone behind her. She lowered her weapon and turned around. It was Sergeant Colt.

She was not standing directly behind her or in a way that would pose a problem to someone who was firing a loaded weapon onto the range. She saluted her like it was a reflex or something and then she spoke, "Are you alright, Lieutenant?"


	7. Casual Talk

**AN: On May 12th I went to Zenkaikon as Pride and I met Sonny Strait (Maes Hughes). It was awesome! The dude is so nice. **

**This is going to be a short chapter and I'm going to try and finish this story up by the end of the month (fingers crossed). **

**Riza may seem a bit OOC but I am as always doing my best to keep her in character but certain things need to take place and well given this strange situation, who knows how Riza would respond?**

**They never really tell you where Hayate goes in Brotherhood while Riza is at work, though there is an episode or two that shows Hayate tied up in a courtyard outside of Headquarters. One can only assume that Riza would leave him there while she was working and bring him home when she was finally able to leave.**

**I hope you've all been well since my last update ^_^**

**Thank You: YesMyLord666, Mellowwy, ayon, xXRedPokerGirlxX, XxXPeaceReaperXxX, Eli White, Mcrtrix, Sniper Riza Hawkeye, Riza Hawkeye fan**

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><p>Riza felt someone behind her. She lowered her weapon and turned around. It was Sergeant Colt.<p>

She was not standing directly behind her or in a way that would pose a problem to someone who was firing a loaded weapon onto the range. She saluted her like it was a reflex or something and then she spoke, "Are you alright, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She gave her a light smile in an attempt to throw her off but Sarah was having none of that. Then in her most uncharacteristically bold move yet, Sarah pointed towards Riza's target board and said "Your aim is a bit off."

Sarah could hardly believe what she had just said and to whom she had said it to. Ever since she started reading that damned book her head had become full of so many awful ideas. Perhaps it wasn't really the book's fault; perhaps this horrific bluntness had always been apart of Sarah's true personality. Perhaps she didn't know herself at all…

Riza did not particularly care to have her suddenly poor aim pointed out to her but she knew it was true. There was no point in denying it and it was better that Sarah had been the one to see this disgraceful shot as opposed to the Colonel. If he knew how this whole thing was affecting her, he'd try and convince her to go home, after all what use would she be to him in this condition?

"Yes, I know. That's what happens when you aren't paying attention." Her tone was stern, though she was not angry but rather disappointed with herself and with her normally steady hands. She was not so engraved in her thoughts as to not notice Sarah's odd behavior, particularly as she continued to press on.

"I don't mean any disrespect" Sarah said as she maintained a firm stance, "but there is obviously something troubling you."

There was a momentary pause as Riza eyed the woman standing before her. She looked as she always had and yet Riza was certain that she had changed somehow. Her lips no longer quivered while searching for a proper response, for the thoughts in her mind seemed to flow more easily now and she showed no signs of fear over speaking above her rank.

Riza's mind jumped to attention and she gripped her gun tighter as a cautious feeling began to loom over her.

'_Could she be…?' _

Riza's eyes moved over Sarah's head and looked upon the clock. It was time that she feed Hayate.

"I'm sorry but I have other things to attend to." She began walking off towards the lockers, her gun still in hand. She thought upon what she was going to do next. She could easily have Fuery feed Hayate while she kept watch over Roy, though that would hardly be fair to Fuery.

Still with someone out there who clearly wanted to harm Mustang, how could she dare leave his side? Even practicing her aim had been a foolish decision. At any given moment shots could ring out and there he would be lying in a pool of blood; his dream for Amestris destroyed and it would all be her fault.

Then there was that possibility that the one they may be looking for was actually a woman and Sarah was behaving so strangely.

'_Could she be the one? Could she be Anonymous?'_

Was there anyway to be sure without tipping her off? That woman held such a gentle face and she could speak so delicately that even if sent into battle and upon her return, no one would ever imagine her to be a murderer; a soldier. How then was Riza to tell?

She closed her locker door and locked it up before leaving. When she left she found Sarah still standing out on the shooting range floor just where she had left her. She'd been waiting.

Riza fought to hide her increasing discomfort.

"Are you sure you're alright, Lieutenant?"

It's funny how such normally kind words can leave a chill running down your spine when they come from the lips of a normally mousey woman. It was then that Riza decided that the only thing she could do to try and see where Sarah's head was at was to talk to her as casually as she could without allowing Sarah to over step her boundaries as a soldier and without informing her as to what her true motives were.

"Yes, thank you but I'll be fine. I should go check on my dog, though. He can get so lonely." She smiled softly, trying to ease off her own inner tension. She would have Fuery feed Hayate later and make it up to him somehow, for while a civil conversation could be held whilst checking up on Hayate, there was no way that she'd ever place a potential stalker, her dog's food, and Hayate in the same area. There were after all, people who were sick enough to poison a helpless animal.

"I didn't know you had a dog." It was a lie, she had seen Hayate on the premises many times before and often he was in the company of either Riza or Roy.

"What's their name?"

"Black Hayate."

"Can I see him? I mean…if that's alright with you, Lieutenant?" she spoke with a sudden burst of enthusiasm.

Had that slight stammer been an act or was Riza reading into this too much? Perhaps there were changes taking place in Sarah's life as well and it was making her seem different. Perhaps she had nothing to do with the burning of Roy's car or those letters. Perhaps Riza really did need to sit down and relax for a bit.

"Of course."

* * *

><p>Sarah followed Riza to the Eastern courtyard where Hayate was kept. Riza hated having to leave him outside for such a large portion of the day but it was not as if she would be allowed to take him into the building, no matter how well behaved he was. He was well behaved though, he didn't need to be tied up and he seemed to have a natural understanding about Riza's busy schedule.<p>

Riza called to Hayate and the dog pranced over to his master, his tail wagging back and forth. Riza knelt down in front of him and told him to shake with his paw; first the left and then the right. Sarah marveled at how obedient he was; how loyal, just like his master was to the bastard who tugged at her leash.

For the briefest of moments a flashback to that horrid kiss between Riza and Roy intruded Sarah's mind. It was so painfully difficult to remove such a ghastly image from her thoughts.

'_Of all the men…'_

"Would you like to pet him?" Riza questioned; Hayate now sat at attention, conscious of Sarah's unfamiliar presence.

"Yes." Sarah knelt down on the freshly cut grass, her nerves returning to her. She stuck out her hand for Hayate to sniff. Her friend from childhood had once had a puppy and she taught Sarah that dogs need to get a good sniff of you before you try and pat their heads.

Hayate licked her, his tongue swiping its way across her index finger.

She smiled down and the young pup and she preceded to lightly pat the top of his head. The black fur was being brought up and down with every soft and delicate stroke. Hayate just sat there, enjoying the attention but unsure as to why he was suddenly receiving so much from this stranger.

"What kind of dog is he?"

"He's a Shiba Inu."

She nodded, still stroking his fur "I thought he was a Husky at first but now that you mention it, he is a bit small to be a Husky."

Riza and Sarah had spoken often before but it always about aim, and shooting, and anything military related. Never had they come so close to having a real conversation about things outside the walls of Central HQ. Still Riza had to prompt just such a conversation and with any luck she'd be able to tell whether or not there was any true reason for her to worry about Sarah's odd behavior.

"Do you own any pets?"

"No, my landlord won't allow it. I've always wanted a dog, though. I used to ask my father for one all the time. It drove him crazy." She said letting off a slight laugh.

"Why wouldn't your father buy you one?"

Sarah shrugged "He doesn't like them." The mentioning of her father caused her to stop touching Hayate and stand up.

"If he was against something as simple as buying you a dog, I can't image how he must have felt when you joined the military."

Sarah felt her nervous tick creeping its way up on her and she grabbed hold of her arm. She had Riza talking to her….really talking to her and even if it was about things that she didn't want to speak about, they were still talking. Riza was acknowledging her and it filled her with a warm, glowing sensation. This new bold attitude of hers was working; she just had to keep it up.

"Actually my father was the one who allowed me to sign up for the military. I was 17 when I joined and I needed his consent. I grew up in Pendleton and due to the constant border skirmishes my father and I were always very used to having a military presence. I hear that the border wars are still going on." Once more they had stepped back onto the subject of the military. What a pity.

"What about you, Lieutenant? Why did you join the military?"

Just as Riza was about to reply, she saw Sergeant Denny Brosh heading towards them.

He saluted Riza and then turned his attention towards Sarah, "Major Armstrong needs to speak with you."

"Alright, I'll be right there." She turned to Riza "I'm sorry, Lieutenant but I have to go."

In that short lived conversation Riza had not been able to determine whether or not Sarah posed any threat to Roy but she had been able to find out that Sarah was defiantly not fond of speaking of her father but then again, Riza wasn't fond of her own father either.

Why anyone would want to stalk her was beyond her understanding. There was nothing special about her, nothing at all. However, stalkers are sick people and in their warped view of reality Riza could only assume, that they had diluted themselves into think that she was different somehow from all of the countless other soldiers in Amestris. Either that or the stalker's true motive wasn't really to chase after Riza but rather to simply gain access to her in order to kill Roy.

Either way she would have to keep an eye on Sarah.

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><p><strong>EN: Stay tuned folks cause' in the next chapter, Sarah crosses all kinds of lines<strong>


	8. Safety

**AN: I would keep apologizing for my fantastically late updates but I'd be writing that far too much. **

**All I can say about this particular chapter is that I can not and do not make any excuses for Sarah's actions. As far as I'm concerned now is the time to send her off to the funny farm before she decides to cause any more trouble. **

**Also this is the longest chapter in the story so far ^_^**

**Thank you: Mellowwy, YesMyLord666, MILL Q, writer's legend, xXRedPokerGirlxX, Nini97, XxXPeaceReaperXxX, Sniper Riza Hawkeye, Guest**

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><p><em>Three Weeks Later…<em>

Riza sat at her desk; her brown eyes were fixed with intent upon her daily work. The sound of pen hitting and dashing across the once blank lines of military documents, were all that was to be heard from her and the others in the Mustang Unit.

Not even the Colonel made a peep….or a yawn. All was quiet and tense.

Roy and Riza were, of course still dating in secrecy, though the notion of having someone out there watching had made them guarded, even when they were supposedly alone. They had held together strongly through far worse, though.

The true terms of their relationship were ambiguous at best and in a way they always had been. What they knew was that they were in love, that the military would terminate both them and Roy's dream of becoming Fuhrer if they were caught, and that a love struck stalker was on the loose and prying into their personal space.

With this there existed the very real possibility that this stalker may in fact only be toying with them for a time before working to their overall goal of exposing Roy and Riza's relationship to those in a higher command. It was something that neither of them wanted to openly acknowledge but Riza being the pragmatic one was forced to bring up the matter.

She had told him, against her own inner desires, that they should end their private relationship until they were certain that their voyeuristic stalker was no longer a threat.

Perhaps it was because it was all to clear that Riza was not committed to her words, that Roy was easily able to push such thoughts from her mind. Her job was to protect him; to protect his dreams and because of that she would have said or done anything to keep him safe. Even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness, which it usually did.

She was stubborn and Roy knew this all too well. The trouble was that he to was very stubborn. He assured her that they would eventually find this stalker and that their secret would remain just that.

Until he becomes Fuhrer. After that he'd let the whole world know just where they stand. As husband and wife.

Though that last bit he kept to himself.

Riza had informed Roy about having an idea as to who her stalker might be but she did not give a name. Riza had been making an effort to spot and chat with Sergeant Colt and she did her very best to gear the conversations away from the military. This was easier said than done. For some reason of which Riza could not understand, she didn't wish to know much of Sarah's life, despite how knowing more of her would aid in her finding out whether or not Sarah was her stalker.

There was something so frighteningly familiar about Sarah and it bothered Riza immensely. Instead they talked of simple things, very simple things. Through these talks Riza found that Sarah was a sweet but highly guarded individual.

Sometimes she wondered if she was even looking at the right person. The letters were sad, the person was violent, and the suspect was oh so timid. If they were all truly the same person, then they must be a terribly complex person or perhaps one of these roles was an act or perhaps Riza really was no where near to the truth.

What kept Riza believing that Sarah was still to be considered dangerous was the look that Sarah was constantly giving her. With most who smiled at her and seemed intensely fixated upon her words, it was because they were in awe of her skills as a sniper and of her high rank or on occasion, it was because of the man she worked for. When Sarah smiled and watched her, it was like the others only somehow different. It was a look similar to awe, though not over Riza's rank or skill. Riza felt that when Sarah looked at her it were as though she were picturing Riza as a finally sculpted piece of artwork or some heaven born miracle bestowed upon the Earth.

To say that Riza was made uncomfortable by this look on that young woman's face was the understatement of the century.

The built up tension in the room had been only recently brought on in these past three weeks as not a single anonymous letter had been sent to Riza. On the one hand this was to be seen as a good thing but on the other…

Havoc opened up the door and for the briefest of moments everyone stopped what they were doing, turned, and looked up at him with quizzical expressions.

"Well?" asked Mustang

Havoc shook his head lightly "I don't know what to tell you chief. The only mail we got today is a package for Fuery." He stated as he haphazardly swung a small box up and down.

"It finally came?"

Havoc handed Fuery the package. "You mean to tell me that this is what you've been waiting for this whole time?"

Fuery nodded enthusiastically. Havoc turned to Hawkeye. "I guess whoever it was isn't interested anymore."

Mustang folded his hands and let his chin rest idly on top as he thought, _'This doesn't make any sense. He went through all that trouble of burning up my car and he suddenly just stops. There's something I'm not seeing…"_

As if Riza could hear his thoughts, she turned to him "I don't think the stopping of the letters are a good sign, sir."

"Nor do I." he half-audibly replied

* * *

><p><em>Later that night…<em>

Sarah awoke with a sudden start. Her eyes were wide with terror and her arm was outstretched above her head, as though she had been attempting to cling onto somebody. She remained frozen like that for a time, until she felt something crawl down her arm and hit her cheek.

_"Not again…" _

She removed herself from her bed and wandered over to the bathroom sink. Sarah's arm was open again. Once more she'd dug at in her sleep, which meant that once more she had dreamt of her father; of her home in Pendleton.

She turned the faucet on and stuck her arm underneath the water. This nervous habit of hers extended to her dreams and when she dreamt of things that bothered or frightened her she had the same reaction as she had in a conscious state.

As Sarah cleaned and wrapped her wound her thoughts were taken back to her home. She wandered if the town had changed by much since she left and she wandered about silly things to, like did that stray cat that used to follow her around ever find a home…was it even still alive. It did look pretty old when she left four years ago.

And her father…

"Ouch!"

Without noticing she had turned the faucet handle far too much and the water was now scalding hot.

After that she made her way into her living room and sat down on the couch. It was late but she didn't feel much like going back to bed. Instead she just rested her head against the back of the couch and tried to get her thoughts to do the same.

It really didn't matter what her town looked like and who the hell cares what happened to that stupid cat? Someone had abandoned it for a reason. She had left it all behind her and if she had any sense left she wouldn't make the mistake of returning.

Guilt had kept her there long enough. If it hadn't been for Christine, she'd probably still be there, living in a constant state of guilt and fear. Things were better now.

It was a shame that she couldn't tell Christine that…it was a shame she couldn't say anything to her anymore.

Things really were going good. It was true that the woman she loved still desired another; no matter how useless he was but in these past three weeks she and Riza had been talking more and that was a start.

Sarah was unsure as to why Riza had become so friendly but she wasn't complaining. It was wonderful really. She had stopped writing her letters because there was no more need for that. They were getting closer now and they were talking. Really communicating!

A smile grew on her face at the thought.

Sarah still wanted with a great deal of desperation to permanently severe both Riza's private and working relationship with Mustang. After all Riza didn't need him. She could be a Colonel herself with her work ethic. If it wasn't for Riza's presence Roy would have been killed ages ago.

His over confidence got him in trouble all the time and he was deserving of any and all consequences for his narcissistic attitude. That chauvinist!

Sarah was feeling incredibly agitated as her thoughts spiraled back and fourth from Pendleton to Mustang to Christine.

_"Christine…maybe I should go back for a visit…at least to leave flowers on your grave…"_

That was it Sarah realized she couldn't just sit their thinking and working herself up. She returned to her room and began to dress. She needed to get out of her apartment and find someplace…safe.

For a long while there was no safe place which existed for her, until Christine showed up. For a time she would spend time with her in her home, while her husband was away. She was a good friend. Though at the time when they knew each other Sarah was only 16 and therefore unwilling to call an older woman "friend". She wasn't sure what to call her really. Looking back on it now she might have called Christine "mom", had she been around longer.

Five years ago Christine made a foolish mistake and was killed for it. The only safe place left in the world for Sarah, was with Riza.

Sarah couldn't really explain what it was about Riza but there was something so familiar and comforting about her. Perhaps it was her protective and determined nature. Maybe it was simply the look in her eyes.

Whatever it was, it was certainly an added plus to Riza's charm.

Although Sarah had halted the sending of letters, she continued to maintain her watch over Riza. It had become like an odd hobby of hers. Through her surveillance she had found out where Riza lived and that tonight Riza was to be attending a rather important dinner meeting with Mustang and a Brigadier General Richter.

The fact that the meeting was strictly business calmed her a bit but she still didn't like the idea of having Riza anywhere near that schmuck.

Sarah did not care to witness another dinner between Riza and Roy. That one instance with them kissing was more than enough. No her best bet was simply to take it easy inside Riza's apartment.

It would be yet another bold move on her part but her new found boldness had led her to some interesting and grand places so far. What was the harm in going a bit further?

After having read _The Art of Lock Picking,_ she was certain that she'd be able to get into Riza's apartment with no problems.

She eyed the book, which rested on her living room table. She'd have to return it to Sheska soon, along with that other book.

The one possible trouble in trying to enter Riza's apartment was Black Hayate. He was a well trained watch dog and if he had the slightest inkling that Sarah wasn't supposed to be there he'd start barking and that would cause the neighbors to take notice.

An idea came to mind. It would take a few minutes but she had to at least try something. Even if it was something this simple.

* * *

><p><em>In Riza's apartment building…<em>

It had taken Sarah quite some time to walk over there. Unfortunately she lacked any other means. Being a Sergeant didn't pay for very much and so a car was something she'd have to wait and save up for.

She liked walking, though. It was a nice night out too. She could see dots of lights in the sky but not much more than that. The street lights prevented people from seeing much more than a few specks of light. It was a pity that those who had been born and raised in Central would never truly experience a starry night.

Back in Pendleton on a clear night you just had to look up to see a whole landscape of stars and meteor showers.

She had passed through the building's lobby and up to the third floor where Riza lived. She took notice of how oddly she was feeling. She wasn't as afraid as she should have been. The concept of someone catching her didn't phase her one bit.

She was inching closer and closer to the apartment door and already she could feel Riza. She knew that she had been standing there. She removed from her purse a tension wrench and pick and set to work.

That book had been right. This was surprisingly easy work.

She held her breath in anticipation. Her hand shook a bit as she went to turn the door handle. It would have been better had Riza invited her but Sarah's home wasn't safe right now and even being this close to where Riza had been made her feel safer already.

She opened the door. It was pitch black inside, until a pair of eyes came darting towards the door and a young pup stepped out into the light.

Immediately Hayate was suspicious as to why Sarah was standing in the doorway instead of his master. He sat up and looked as though he were giving her his version of an interrogation.

Sarah knelt down in front of him and in her own way, asked to enter. Sadly it seemed that Hayate had not received the answers he was looking for and so he began to growl at Sarah.

She signed "For such a cute dog you can make some very ugly faces."

She opened up her purse once more and removed from it rolled up tin foil. Hayate raised a brow and began sniffing at the tin foil and wagging his tail excitedly. He knew very well what was inside.

Sarah stroked his fur, "You're such a good boy, Hayate. You've done a good job at protecting your master's home but you can let me in, right? After all I'm your master's friend."

Although Hayate was smart for a dog, he was still a dog and easily tempted by kind words and what lay inside that tin foil made his mouth water. He let her in thinking he was being a good dog, after all only good dogs get treats.

Once Sarah turned on the lights, entered the apartment, and shut the door, she unfolded the tin foil and allowed Hayate to help himself.

She knew that no dog could resist bacon. Besides in all likelihood Riza had not taught him about keeping people out of her home while she was away. The only people Hayate would have snapped at and attacked would have been strangers who had come in to steal something. Sarah had no intention of taking anything out of the apartment.

She stood upright and took it all in. She was giddy with excitement at being this bold and getting into here. Here! Right in Riza's home. Sarah began to have look around, curious to see the rest of the apartment.

The entrance was cluttered by boxes. This was due to the fact that Riza had but months ago begun renting there. Undoubtedly the heavy work load that Roy was constantly leaving her with was to blame for her inability to finish unpacking. Had Sarah been invited in, she would have gladly assisted her.

Hayate had happily wolfed down his treat and began following Sarah around the small apartment as she walked from room to room talking to Hayate.

"Do you promise not to tell her, Hayate? I wouldn't want her to know that I was here. I mean it's not as though I'm going to steal anything, now that'd be bad. It's just…I like being around her. I really care about her. That's why I don't trust Colonel Mustang."

Hayate's ears perked up at the sound of Mustang's name.

"Please don't tell me you like him? He's a horrible person, you know?"  
>Hayate wagged his tail in firm disagreement with Sarah's belief. Sarah shook her head.<p>

"You don't know what you're talking about. Riza doesn't know either. What does she see in him? He's lazy, egotistical, manipulative, and worst yet…" she got really close to Hayate and whispered "he's a womanizer."

"How on Earth does someone as intelligent and as wonderful as Riza fall for a guy like that?"

Black Hayate shot her a look

"I'm not going to say that I'm perfect or that we'd have the most amazing relationship but I know that I'd never purposely hurt her. I know I'd treat her the way she deserves to be treated."

Hayate shot her another look, this time it was as though he were asking "How do you know?"

It was true that there were many things that she had not known of herself. She hadn't known of her hidden bold nature or of just how far her jealousy could take her. Still she could never picture herself doing anything to harm Riza.

"I…I just know."

Sarah wandered off into another area of the apartment, "It's not as though it matters. I could never be with someone that wonderful. She deserves only the best and I can not give her that."

She stopped in front of a closed doorway. She opened it and found that inside was Riza's bedroom.

For a moment she simply lingered in the doorway. She saw the neatly made bed, a dresser, a desk, a chair.

it was all very plain; very ordinary. Riza had within her the ability to live a rather lavish lifestyle and yet she chose to live a rather frugile and simplistic one. Sarah thought that perhaps she had gained this thought processes from living with her poor alchemist, Father. Riza had spoken of him once, briefly.

Sarah was torn between her boldness and her quiet nature. Going into someone's apartment was one thing but entering into their bedroom was quite another. One's bedroom is meant to be a place of privacy and security. The only people who are allowed into someone else's bedroom are friends, realitives, boyfriends...

"Hayate?" Sarah asked the small pup by her feet "Mustang...he...he hasn't been in here, right?"

The dog gave no reply.

"Nevermind..." she said as she turned on the lights and walked inside.

Sarah moved towards the bed. Why? She was not sure but she did. She felt over the soft covered with her hand before sitting down. There she sat for a long while, just sitting.

Hayate whined a bit and moved towards the bed himself as though he were about to jump up on it.

"Hayate? Are you allowed on the bed?" she spoke as if talking to a naughty child. Hayate refrained from moving any closer.

"Humph. I though so."

Sarah was about to make her boldest move yet and lay down but as she did she felt something very hard underneath the pillow. She lifted up the pillow and found a large book.

It was an old leatherbound book and there were pages falling out of it. Sarah slowly opened up to the first page and there she saw the words, _Dear Diary_

"Riza keeps a diary?" Sarah couldn't help but grin at this new found fact. Every question she ever had could be found within these pages. Every ounce of this book oozing the life story of Riza Hawkeye. Sarah could not let such an opportunity go to waste and so she began to read.

_Dear Diary, March 5th, 1895_

"1895? Riza would have been six. She was smart even then. I mean most six year olds can't even tie their own shoes and here she is writing."

_Dear Diary, March 5th, 1895_

_I'm going to start writing down my words because there is no one around to hear them. Something bad happened. I don't know what but it must have been really bad. Two months ago my mom died. She'd been sick for a long time and then one day she didn't wake up. My father has been acting strange ever since her death. I feel sorry because I don't know what to do. I miss her too but he's in so much pain and I'm the only one who can help him but I don't know how._

_Two weeks ago my father locked himself in his study. My mom taught me how to make simple things like scrambled eggs but he wouldn't eat. Then two days ago he came out covered in blood and he was different. He wouldn't look at me. He just kept saying "I know what I have to do."_

_He was scaring me. I asked him what he was talking about and he only said, "There is to be a great fire." He won't look at me. He won't talk to me. He gives me nightmares._

_I want my mom back._

_Love,_

_Riza_

"She felt bound to her father as well? And here I thought my Father was the only crazed parent out there." mused Sarah

She skipped a few pages.

_Dear Diary, September 12th, 1895_

_Father has shown no signs of change but he did do something odd. He's taking on an alchemy apprentice. His name is Roy Mustang. He is four years older than me and from Central…_

At this Sarah nearly dropped the book. She had to reading that wrong...it couldn't be. No! Never! Riza and Mustang...

"They grew up together...?"

Completly bemused by the text in front of her, Sarah felt compelled to continue reading. At first Riza hated him and she made several rude comments to him that drove Sarah into fits of laughter. She was quite the clever writer. Then something changed but it was not writen as to what the cause was but one day Riza started helping him with his studies and they began playing together.

They became friends. Sarah couldn't believe it. They had been friends and now they were dating and still Mustang made her stay late to finish what he was meant to have done hours before. What a jerk!

Sarah skipped ahead, again.

She found a page then that she wished she had not found. It was dated in early spring of 1903. It was troubling from the very start for there were water marks dotted all about page, like someone had been crying heavily.

It said that Mustang , who had turned 18, left the Hawkeye mansion to join the military. It went on to say that Riza's father had asked her to preform a favor for him. She was happy because he looked at her in the eyes when he asked and he said that no one else could be trusted with such a task. That's why she agreed. Because she was young, because she thought he really needed her.

He used her to hold and protect his alchemy, which he carved into her back. Her words alone to describe such a horrendous pain brought tears into Sarah's eyes and a sudden rafe towards Berthold Hawkeye for tainting what was left of Riza's ability to trust.

She flipped countless pages ahead, not wanting to look back.

She come upon a page that was dated November 6th, 1905. Berthold Hawkeye was dead and Mustang had returned to arrange and pay for that bastard's funeral arrangements. Riza had shed no tears and Roy told her a story of his dreams for Amestris and she ate it up. He then told her that he'd be in the miitary for the rest of his life.

She then said that she had something to show him. Sarah was about to flip the page, not wanting to think about them becoming intimate. Then it mentioned that horrible day. She showed him her tattoo, the one her father had cursed upon her back.

The secrets of Flame Alchemy

"Her father planned this...he planned it all. He sold her to him..."

She couldn't stop reading.

_Dear Diary, January 23rd, 1908_

_So this is it. After putting two years worth of work at the Amesrtian Military Academy, I am to be sent onto the front lines. I'll be leaving my diary with my friend, Rebecca along with my other personal items._

_As dear of a friend as she is, I wish she wouldn't keep reminding me of my mortality. She is fearful that I won't return and knowing full well what a bloodbath Ishval is, she may be right. Still I am hopeful that I will find Mr. Mustang before that. I wonder if even in this chaos, his dream has remained unchanged. If it hasn't changed, then I'll gladly defend it. It's good to have dreams. They give you something to look forward to, even when the world in font of you seems so bleak. It is doubtful that he will even remember me._

_Love,_

_Riza_

"That bastard! She was looking for him! He lead her right into that war!"

There was a long skip. The next page was dated May 10th, 1910

It began very plainly..._I am now a Second Lieutenant and I am working under Lieutenant Colonel Mustang. I am to guard him as I did during Ishval, to preserve both his life and his dreams for Amestris..._

Further down lay the line that made Sarah sick to the pit of her stomach.

_I still can hardly bring myself to gaze at my back in the mirror. My father's research permanently scarred by the alchemy he had spent so long perfecting. I know he didn't want to but it had to be done. It was the only way to free me. Roy had to burn my back…  
><em>

That was it. Right there. Sarah dropped the book with a heavy thud to the floor.

"Her father branded her and sold her. He lead her into a war and then he disfigured her back...that...that...bastard..."

She picked up the book and stuggled to maintain a hold on it with her trembling hands.

"It all makes sense now. She was bound to her father and now she's bound to him. She's trapped, just like I was."

* * *

><p><strong>Ok maybe you are wondering "why on Earth would Riza leave that thing so out in the open? Is she stupid?" <strong>

**Of corse she's not stupid! She's Riza Fucking Hawkeye. She's not very analytical but she isn't stupid. **

**"Then this must be a plot hole!" wrong again. **

**Stay tuned for the next chapter: Shit hits the fan! (pardon my french) Riza and Roy have something in the works but will it be enough to put an end to this crazy chick? **

***cue dramatic music* **


	9. Trapped

**ATTENTION THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN EDITED AND YOU MAY NEED TO RE-READ**

****I hope that you are all enjoying the story thus far. I am still working on it as often as I can and I finally have this chapter at the length it should have been from the very beginning and I apologize to all of my readers for doing this as it is very unprofessional and I will avoid doing this again in the future. ****

**Thank you:**

_**Chain-Of-Souls**_**, **_**MILL Qs**_**, **_**YesMyLord666**_**, **_**Nini97**_**, **_**Eli White**_**, **_**xXRedPokerGirlxX,**__**writer's legend**_**, **_**Useless on Rainy Days**_**, **_**Mcrtrix **_**, **_**Miekaoo, Guest**_**, **_**InsecureLemon**_**, **_**Aninhaloka**_**, **_**DrHendo, Krymsyn Vyxyn, Fmalover07, The Jade Empress, Guest, anon, ****XxXPeaceReaperXxX**_

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><p>"<strong>There are some people, who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other."-<strong> **Douglas H. Everett**

* * *

><p>Sarah sat there with her hands on her knees; Hayate watching her for any signs of movement.<p>

She now knew why Riza was so drawn to Mustang. He held a power over her that few would understand, unless they too had once been held captive in such a situation. The relationship which existed between them was not of love but of pure dominance.

As a child, Riza had wanted her father to pay her even the smallest ounce of attention. When she was handed to Roy after her father's death, she had taken it upon her self to do all that he asked of her and in that small way she'd still be following her father's command.

Still seeking his approval.

It was a tragic circle that few had been able to break away from and those who had were the ones who received help from an outside source.

Christine had been the one to help Sarah. She had made her realize that she needed to get away from her father…away from the guilt that he had burdened her with.

She knew then and there that she would not be able to do the same for Riza. Roy was different than Sarah's father or Christine's husband; he knew some of the deadliest tricks and had ensnared the fair and lovely Riza...**_her_** Riza.

_"My Riza?" _questioned Sarah silently to herself _"No...not mine; never mine." _

There in that old and tattered diary lay a first hand account of Roy's possessive nature and it had been told in such a forgiving and accepting way.

Sarah took a long, deep breath and held it there tightly in her lungs, until she felt comfortable finally releasing it.

"Oh Riza, if only you'd use that clever mind of yours and realize what a horrible situation you're in." Mused Sarah to herself

"You knew that I would come here tonight. You made sure that I would be aware that you and Mustang would be attending dinner tonight with Brigadier General Richter. You wanted me to see this and change my mind about him."

Sarah let out a strained laugh and one could have easily mistaken it for a cry of pain. The noise, even left her to question what it was meant to have been.

"I can't change my mind about him. I won't. Not when I can read right through your words and find the real truth of the matter. Even if you can't admit to it, even if you can't see it; it's all right there."

Her fingers were trembling and it unnerved poor Hayate.

She gave Hayate a halfhearted smile; trying to ease his discomfort and her own. This all meant so much; too much to take in all at one setting.

Riza knew that she was stalking her and there would surely be no hope for recovery. Riza would never put up with someone following her around, even if it was only to protect her; to love her from afar.

Riza had lead her there tonight in order to show her that Roy was no threat to her...or perhaps that hadn't been Riza's idea. Perhaps Mustang had told her to do this; told her to make him look good so that Sarah couldn't stand a chance at freeing Riza...**_his_ **Riza. Perhaps the whole diary was apart of Mustang's elaborate plot to keep Riza for himself.

Yes! Yes, that was it! Mustang had uncovered evidence to suggest that Sarah was watching Riza and that she knew of their relationship. Not wanting the whole thing to blow up in his face, he told Riza to find a way to get Sarah in her apartment and to distract her with a fake diary that he had Riza make and write things down just the way he wanted them to be written. Then...

"Oh no..."

It finally dawned on Sarah. Waves of nausea and panic began to weep over her now starkly pale complexion.

"Then after he'd get me to think 'what a wonderful man he is', I'd leave the apartment and there would be Brigadier General Richter and the Military Police waiting for me..."

She could only nod her head along to the unpleasantness of the situation. That was it. That had to be it. Mustang was behind all of this and once more he had beaten Sarah without even trying.

Sarah was a shy, homebody sort of woman. She was never meant for a military life. After meeting Riza, Sarah's bold nature was finally brought to light but that boldness had made her reckless and a reckless and half-crazed woman was far too easy to catch; particularly for a man like Roy Mustang.

_"My Riza...his Riza...my Riza...his Riza...Riza" _

Perhaps Riza could never be with her but she still deserved so much more than Mustang. Someone kind and attentive; someone who wouldn't use her.

Sarah could not save Riza from Mustang in the way Christine had saved Sarah from her father.

No, no it would never be that simple.

If she really wanted to break Riza away from her unfortunate situation. Roy Mustang would have to die.

Sarah stood up and smoothed out the bed spread. She looked out the window and though she could not see anyone in a military uniform on the streets below; she knew that there would be no way for her to escape. She'd go wherever they took her, then when the time was right, she'd kill him. She'd free Riza.

Before leaving the apartment she knelt down and held Black Hayate close to her. She'd always wanted a dog.

"At least...at least she trusted me enough to be near you." and that small thought made her smile.

* * *

><p>Maes Hughes heard this gentle murmur from the mad woman's lips. He couldn't believe that Riza had been willing to allow her stalker into her apartment. It was a bold plan and now it was time for him to do his part.<p>

He waved his wrist, signaling for the Military Police to move forward.

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><p>"We're here, General," Said Roy as he carefully pulled up next to the sidewalk outside of Riza's apartment building.<p>

"Careful!" Barked Brigadier General Richter from the back seat, "Just because I **allowed** you to drive my car, Mustang, doesn't mean you can go knocking it around against sidewalks and denting it as you see fit!"

"Yes, Sir." Roy missed having his own car. When he had his own car there were never any grumpy old men giving him orders on things he already knew very well how to do. More importantly, he felt it best that they get inside and quickly. Hughes was already inside and Roy wanted to be sure that things had gone smoothly and he was sure Riza did as well. He paused for a moment as he parked the car as carefully as he could manage to do, so as not to cause the General to have a conniption. He looked over to his side and eyed Riza, who remained silent and ready to move at any given moment.

There were many things that could and might still go wrong because of this and yet she had volunteered her own home to be used to catch a stalker.

The plan had begun simply enough when Riza had finally informed Roy of her suspicions about Sarah being her anonymous sender. Knowing that Riza was always far more pragmatic in her thinking, yet just as determined as he was to find this "anonymous", he instantly trusted her judgment. The trouble was if they wanted Sarah out of their lives, they'd need solid evidence. The best way to obtain such proof was apparent; they'd have to catch Sarah in the act. The trouble was up until this point Sarah had managed to elude Riza's sharp shooter vision and would have remained invisible had she not made a point to converse so eagerly. The other problem was they would need time to get Hughes on board with what was going on and to have him detain her.

That was when Riza stepped forward with her own idea. She'd set it up so that Sarah would think she would be out of her apartment for the night and tempt her with the thought of walking inside. There were risks and holes in this plan and they both knew it. Roy had tried to convince her not to do this. He had tried to convince her of danger that may ensue but she knew it and her mind was already made up. She was always so stubborn, especially when it came to protecting him. It was one of the many reasons why he loved her.

As for why Brigadier General Richter became tied into their plan, it was because while arresting a low ranking member of the military could be done with a fair amount of ease, getting them dishonorably discharged and tried for their crimes was another story all together. The whole process could take months, unless there was a higher up with an invested interest in getting this over and done with in a timely fashion. The higher up in the ranks they were the better.

Brigadier General Richter was like Roy, in the sense that the two of them were idealists. However, while they were both idealists, Brigadier General Richter held his ideas captive in the past. He dreamed of having the military return to its old way of thinking. Roy was headed towards Amestris' future and what the prospect of change may bring. Still there was a part of the General's thinking that even he had to agree with; there were far too many military officials in Central that didn't belong there for one reason or another. Sergeant Colt was one of them.

Brigadier General Richter had gone with Roy and Riza, so as to be able to validate their belief that Sarah was up to no good. Unfortunately, Brigadier General Richter had recently been developing some slight vision problems, which was the reason why many were quietly urging him to retire. It wasn't that he could not see but rather it was a case of double vision. Somehow he had managed to drive himself to and from Headquarters without getting an accident but Roy still didn't feel comfortable having him driving, so he had kindly insisted upon being the one at the wheel. The General had begrudgingly agreed.

So there they were now, sitting in the car hoping that this would all work out for the best. At the very least, Roy knew that Sarah had been in the apartment. He had told Hughes, that if she had not been there on his arrival that he was to call him.

"I still can't believe that you got you're Lieutenant to agree to this" The General spoke to Roy as if Riza was not present; he was not the first and most likely would not be the last.

"Actually, sir it was her idea."

The General only hummed a bit at this and said, "That was a very bold decision, Lieutenant. Let's hope it works out in your favor."

* * *

><p>Once they were outside of the car and inside the building, Roy lead the way with Riza behind him acting as his shadow.<p>

Roy walked with hurried steps and wondered just what sort of fight Sarah must have tried to put up against Hughes and the very real possibility that she might have arrived there still armed. After all Riza was also a sniper and she was armed to the teeth at any given time.

He also found himself wondering about what could have held her attention inside of Riza's apartment for so log, after all it did take some time for Hughes and the military police to arrive. Did he even want to know what she had been doing?

Riza was wondering much the same thing. She hoped silently to herself that her message had been clearly received and that some part of Sarah was still thinking logically.

As for Brigadier General Richter, he was trailing behind as his double vision began to act up again. Of course he didn't want anyone to know about it and so he said nothing...that was until something else caught his attention.

"Have you been here many times before, Colonel Mustang?"

Both Roy and Riza stopped and turned to face the General. "What do you mean, sir?" questioned Roy

"Well considering that this is Lieutenant Hawkeye's building don't you think she should be the one leading the way?"

In truth Roy had not been thinking of that. He was simply so used to being the leader. He'd protect Riza from the front and she would watch over him from the back. They had learned from the events in Ishval that it was the best way to keep each other safe.

"yes, of course." He signaled her to go on ahead "Show the way, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir. My apartment is right this way."

It seemed to satisfy Brigadier General Richter but it felt rather unusual for Roy. It seemed for now, he'd be protecting her back...like he had so many years ago.

* * *

><p>When they neared the apartment they saw Sarah kneeling down in the hallway. Her hands were cuffed behind her and an officer stood at close range, not daring to move his loaded gun away from her head. Her head was hung low and her hair fell towards her face.<p>

Roy smiled at Hughes as he approached them. Roy introduced Brigadier General Richter and then said, "I'm glad to see that everything went so well."

Hughes' response was unusually solemn and he did his best to keep his voice down. "It went a little too well. It was almost as if she knew we were coming."

"Don't be ridiculous. If she knew that coming here would get her arrested, why would she even come?"

_"This isn't over, is it?" _Thought Riza, all the while monitoring Sarah's movements. As if she were able to hear her thoughts, Sarah turned her head to face them.

The officer with the gun to her head began warning her not to move but she ignored him, focusing solely on Roy. She smiled, clenched teeth showing and Riza recognized that she was doing all she could to bite back the overwhelming rage that was burning inside of her.

She couldn't imagine what was fueling her hatred towards Roy. Riza had laid out the whole truth, right there for her to see. Roy was a good man and she…she was nothing to fawn over. There was no reason to become obsessed with her. She was nothing special. She was just an ordinary human full of flaws. What had she even done in the first place to make this girl feel so possessive of her?

Roy glared down upon her, feeling the satisfaction of having so easily captured her and having her there down on her knees. Riza could feel the invisible friction between the two and while she trusted Roy to maintain his composure, she could not say the same for Sarah. She appeared ready to lunge upon him.

With one hand feeling over the trigger of her gun, she positioned her other hand upon Roy's shoulder causing him to instantly break off his heated stares with the prisoner. She gave him a look that to the others was indecipherable but he knew very well what it meant and so he turned away from Sarah.

Sarah, however, continued to glare at him. Her head was full of wonderfully awful things.

"So that's Sergeant Colt, then?" Questioned Brigadier General Richter. "Don't worry; my testimony alone will be enough to earn her a dishonorable discharge. As for the evidence that you have of her other crimes, you should be able to get her sent to prison for at least a year or two."

He paused for a moment and turned away from Roy, "We don't need filth like her in our military."

Sarah took offence to being referred to as "filth" but she couldn't help but to laugh. He called her filth while speaking to a man like Roy? Oh the bitter irony.

At hearing her laughing, everyone's nerves rose for what could she possibly find so amusing at a time like this?

A look of disgust came over the General's face, "She's insane. You did the right thing, Lieutenant Hawkeye. It would seem that you're bold plan was a success."

"Thank you, sir." She wished that it really had been a success; that Sarah would have faced reality and understood it. Unfortunately it seemed that Sarah's mind was far removed from any reality that Riza knew of. She doubted very much that anything could be done to reach her. Removing her from the military was the only thing to do.

As Riza, Roy, and Brigadier General Richter walked off, Sarah found herself with her mouth a gape, "What?" was all she could say.

Hughes gave the order to have her stand, as they too began making their way out of the building. She went limp as her thoughts began to intensify and swirl around her.

_"Her plan? NO! Not her plan! It was Roy's plan…all off it was his doing! He pinned it on her but she never wanted any of this. He forced her into a war, he burned her back, and then he made her write it all down to make him seem like a decent man. He wants me to leave him alone and then…and then he'll do just what Christine's husband did to her. I can't let him do that! Not when I have a chance to save her! But what…what if I'm wrong about this? What if I'm wrong about all of it? Christine…please…please help me." _

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><p><strong><em>Several Hours Later (around 11 am)...<em>**

Sergeant Sarah Colt had been arrested and charged with trespassing, breaking and entry, invasion of privacy, and fraternization. She was also, much to Roy's relief, charged with arson after the store clerk stepped forward to identify Sarah as the one who moments before Roy's car was destroyed, had bought a rather large box of matches and had been visibly distressed.

Shortly after she had been arrested, she was brought in for questioning. The interrogation had been executed by Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. During the interview Sarah was pensive and distant.

When Hughes presented to her one of the letters that she had sent to Riza and brought it side by side with the paperwork that Sarah had filled out the day before, her face did not change. She merely glanced over it. She saw the familiar slanted letters and the crunched together "m's". She felt over the letter and for a moment she wished that she could have ended it then and there.

Hughes pulled the letter away from her reach but before he could begin his round of questioning, Sarah did something which took him aback. She confessed to everything. Her voice barely raised above a faint whisper. Hughes had never heard of a stalker actually admitting that what they had done was wrong. They were volatile, obsessive, and deranged but what Hughes saw sitting before him was anything but. She sat with her head lowered, one hand pulling on the opposite sleeve and altogether she looked like a lost child.

Still Hughes had kept his guard up; criminals could be very deceptive.

"Why did you take things this far?" He asked

She collected her thoughts, trying to get everything into the right order, "There are very few people in this world who would understand why I did what I did and you're not one of them, Sir. My trying to explain any of this to you would only add to your confusion."

He had then asked her 'why she was so willing to admit to what she had done and whether or not she felt any remorse over her actions'.

"I promised someone that should anything go awry, I would take full responsibility for my actions."

She would not say who she had promised.

As for whether or not she fully realized just what sort of problem's she had been causing, that one was debatable.

She was to be held in a cell for the night but there was strong talk cycling that she might be placed under house arrest until her trial could commence.

Still there was something about Sarah that didn't sit right with Hughes. Yes, she was guilty but he felt that there was more to it. She was different than the man who had been stalking Gracia all those years ago.

He was sitting inside the Investigation's Department Office at his desk. Sheska was off to the side organizing files and trying to put them away without the papers falling out of their folders.

As she did so, she continued to make her apologies with a meek whimper in her voice.

"I'm very sorry, sir. You know that I always do my best to be here on time but my mother actually asked the doctors where I was and so I really had to visit with her. She normally can't remember that I even exist and so I had to go but then next thing I know..."

Hughes had repeatedly told her that it was perfectly alright. He himself had been late many times before due to Elicia getting sick. Although, with Elicia the sicknesses were common ones, colds and such but for Sheska's mother...well...it was different.

As Hughes was about to approach this rather stressed out assistant with the latest and greatest of his daughter's photos; a knock was heard at the door. It was loud enough for Hughes' ears to pick it up but it lacked the normal hardy force that a soldier's fist could produce. Whoever was on the other side was clearly not s member of the Investigation's Department or they would simply walk in; they were also, more than likely, of a lower rank.

"Who is it?" called Hughes

"It's Second Lieutenant Maria Ross, sir. May I speak to Lieutenant Colonel Hughes?"

"You already are Lieutenant but why don't you come on in and we can speak face to face. I've got some wonderful new pictures that you just have to see!" It was no surprise to Hughes that Lieutenant Ross had not recognized his voice; they did so rarely come face to face with one another.

She promptly entered the room and saluted him. Her face was tense; it was evident that something was troubling her. Sheska gave her a small salute but sensing that she had come on a serious matter, she did her best to make herself invisible and returned to tending to her work.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, sir," she began and Hughes felt strange to hear such a thing being said to him. Those who did not know him very well always were so formal. "It's just...I was just informed by Major Armstrong about what happened."

Hughes nodded gently for she knew exactly what she meant and why she was so stirred. Major Armstrong had been shocked by the news and had done his best to rationalize how he had not noticed that something was wrong with Sarah long before. Sheska knew that it was impolite to eavesdrop but she couldn't help herself; much like she had known that reading would be bad while working at the library, yet had done so anyway.

"It was my fault. I should have done something to stop this."

"There's no need to blame yourself for your subordinates actions."

Sheska's working speed slowed down upon hearing Hughes' words. _'I wonder what happened...' _

"Sir, you don't understand. She came to me long before all of this and told me that she had developed feelings for a First Lieutenant. She didn't give me their name but I should have pieced two and two together. Even if I didn't have a name, I still should have reported her."

Hughes shook his head. He would not place unnecessary blame upon her shoulders. She was feeling guilty enough as it was. What Hughes didn't know was that Maria had already apologized to both Riza and Major Armstrong, for not being as vigilant as she should have been. They had all told her the same thing, of which Hughes was about to say.

"Lieutenant, the only person at fault is Sergeant Colt. She made her choices and no one could have seen where this was going."

Sheska dropped the files in her hands and stared with great confusion at Hughes and Maria, "What do you mean? What did Sarah do?"

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><p>Sarah sat upon the cot inside of her small and dismal cell. Iron bars caged her in and cast ominous shadows down upon the concrete floor. There was word that she would not be staying there long. Someone out there believed her not to be a threat. They were going to send her home where she'd be watched over by members of the military police. They acted as if that was some great luxury. It wasn't, though. She was trapped there in that cell and she would be trapped in her home.<p>

She was trapped in herself.

Sarah wanted to save Riza and she would. Men like Roy needed to be put down like the filthy animals that they were. Men like Roy were everywhere, it seemed. Sarah's Father, Riza's Father, Christine's husband, and she was certain that Hughes was like that as well.

Sheska had told Sarah before that Roy and Hughes were best friends. If that were the case then he'd have to be a bastard as well. It only made sense. She wondered if there were any good men in the world; what if all of those "great men" that she had read about in her school's history books, had not been so great at all. What if all of their wives had ended up like Christine?

_"What if I never sent those letters? Never tried to speak to her? Never followed them to dinner? Would she be living still or would Mustang have gone and burned the rest of her? Yes. "It was a house fire," he'd say "A terrible accident," the media would agree. My meddling has kept her alive this long. I know it. Be strong Riza, be strong." _

Still, there was the matter of the diary and as much as Sarah hated to admit it, she was questioning her own thinking process.

_"Did he tell her to write down that he had burned her back but in such a way to make it sound like it had been her own choice? Why would he do that? Would it not have been easier to have her write of a happy life full of simple pleasures and pains? What if the parts about her being carved up by her father and burned by Roy were true? Yes and then he told her to seem like she wanted it; that part was the lie. Though the pages did look awfully worn and it would be a lot to put together and what if I didn't fall for it, what if I had done the sensible thing and stayed home? What if there were no lies?" _

Her head was in pain from the weight of her own madness doing battle against her more logical side, and the madness was winning. She ran her fingers through her hair and pulled upon the roots with great anguish. She stooped and rolled up her sleeve to examine her scabbed arm. It was swollen from being picked at again. She thought of what it might be like to be free from her head; to be free from herself. What would happen if she just scratched away at that scab until it was open and bleeding once more, only this time she didn't stop? Would she tear so much into the heated flesh that she might see bone? If she did that would her thought's finally be silenced?

It would never heal, for she did not want it to.

_"Did he ever wonder where I went to? Did he even care that I was gone? Is he still looking for me...did he ever even begin?" _

Such thoughts shamed her for Christine had done all she could to get her away from her father...anway from Pendleton, and yet there she was still thinking about him and wanting to go back. Christine had helped her; she really had but still she was trapped. She would not or rather could not let her past just die. Her father was toxic and so was that town...and she was thinking of removing a large portion of her flesh? That was suicide. She was contimplating her own death.

She rolled her sleeve down again; not wanting to look at the reality of it all.

_"I have to save her from a man I hate and yet I'm not thinking of his death but my own. What is wrong with me? My own death? Is it really that inevitable? Yes...it is...isn't it? But not yet...not yet." _

She would kill Roy. She had to. She wanted to. Riza was surely mad at her as it was and killing Roy would only add to her anger but in time the anger would begin to fade. It would go slowly at first and then a bit faster, till it all would dissolve entirely. Then Riza would begin to notice her life becoming easier...better. She'd find happiness alone.

And Sarah?

She'd die either by her own hands or another but she knew it was coming. It would come to her and with it the relief that she had been in need of for years. No more burden and no more shame.

_"But not yet...not yet"_

Still there was one person in this world that might not be mad at her; maybe not hate her.

_"I hope I can at least say goodbye to her..." _

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><p><strong>Fret not my dear readers; there is more insanity to come. <strong>

**Next Chapter: Sarah get's a visitor **


	10. Goodbye

**AN: Please note that if you see anything in this chapter that is both in bold and italics, then that means it's a flashback. **

**Thank you and enjoy!**

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><p>"Sir, I don't think it's safe."<p>

These were the exact words that Roy had been dreading to hear and yet hearing them did not stir in him any sensations of hurt or misunderstanding, rather he felt the childish weight of disappointment. He moved to contradict his lieutenant and prove to her that all was well and brag heavily on how easily he could and would defeat Sarah or any other, should the need come but he realized all too quickly that she was not speaking as his lieutenant but as his queen, his girlfriend, his love.

"Riza, you can drop the formalities." Roy was right, they were alone but still she continued in a respectful tongue, she had to make sure he would listen.

"Sir, you promised me before that should a threat emerge that we would go back to simply being "Colonel" and "Lieutenant"."

She was right on that. She was right about all of it. A threat had emerged in the form of a twitchy, violent, and deranged woman. There had been an agreement between them as well.

On the night that Roy had made his move and kissed Riza, she had turned away from giving in completely to Roy as his oh-so-charming ways and had remained her pragmatic self…if only for a moment before falling back into his heated embrace.

She had given him a condition, which was that should a threat occur that they would go back to their proper roles and cease all non-platonic connection (at least until all was back to normal).

Riza had to protect Roy. She had to keep him safe and she would be sure to do just that. Sarah had targeted him because of how close he was to Riza. She'd have to keep him at arms length in order to watch over him with a greater vigilance.

"The request for giving her house arrest has been overturned. She's in holding for now but she will be moved to Central Prison until her trial."

"I know that, Sir which is why we need to be careful. I saw the look that she gave you. She's not about to go quietly."

It was not so much that Roy and Riza were expecting Sarah to escape but both knew that she was still looking for a fight and that was a reason to be cautious.

She was right. Riza was always right.

"Also, I think you should stay with Lieutenant Colonel Hughes until the trial is over with."

No! No Roy was not about to both carpool with Hughes as well as live with him. He was about to protest but Riza's mouth silenced him with a kiss.

"Can't I stay with you instead, Lieutenant?" Roy asked coyly

"Sergeant Colt knows where I live and besides we would be breaking protocol and you and I both know how strict the Fraternization Laws are, Sir." She gave a taunting smile.

* * *

><p><em>Three Days Later…<em>

Sarah lay flat upon the cot of her cell. She had but moments ago heard the news that the request to keep her under house arrest had been overturned. The news had left her unfazed; for there were still demons crawling around in her mind and they were far more important.

She was folding, unfolding, and then re-folding again a letter; the last letter that she would ever write.

When she had requested a pen and piece of paper the guards had eyed her so suspiciously and for a time she thought that perhaps they might not honor her request but then they did just that.

Sarah felt as though there were far more things that should have been addressed in the letter but the guard had already collected the pen from her. Upon her escape, she would tuck the letter underneath her pillow and allow it to be found. She hoped that it would be given to its rightful owner.

_'What if they find it and throw it away? They…they wouldn't do that...would they? In prison they honor those who are about to be executed with one final request…only they don't know that I'm going to die.' _

Death? Murder? Suicide?

What are these like to experience?

Streams of light filled her darkened cell and left the reflected shadows of iron bars upon the wall. It was a reminder that she was no longer a Sergeant but now and forever more, an insignificant stain within the Amestrian criminal system.

With Brigadier General Richter offering up his good name and testifying to having paid witness to one of Sarah's many crimes, the whole court marshal process was sped up substantially; leaving Sarah to bare the mark of public humility.

She had refrained from eating since her arrest and would continue to do so. She drew comfort from the light and airy feeling that sated her stomach; just as she was brought to a gentle outer peace by the deliberate darkness.

Her head was roaming around and revisiting every thought, once, then twice, and once again for good measure. It gave her the feeling of being bound while a pillow was pressed firmly down upon her face. There was no light. There was no air. She was calm but screaming on the inside.

A dizzy daze of pain and pleasure that only those who are about to die can experience.

She'd waited three days for good measure, as she wanted to lull them into the false belief that she would willingly stay there.

"I just want to go home…" she mumbled almost inaudibly.

She wanted to go back because she knew that she didn't belong anywhere else…and maybe she didn't even belong in Pendleton. She didn't belong anywhere for she was never meant to have been born. She had killed her mother and Christine…oh Christine, she couldn't even see that everything was so wrong.

What would she do if she even went back?

She'd kill Roy and because she would be caught easily if she dared to board a train, she'd walk off and just keep on walking for hundreds of thousands of miles until she reached home. There and then she'd collapse from exhaustion outside on the steps. She'd hear the sounds of rumbling thunder from overhead, as rain threatened to fall at any second. In the morning she'd awaken soaked and frigid and trying to work up the nerve to knock on the door. Would her father even answer it? Would he slam it back in her face when he saw her? Could he ever accept that she had murdered not only her mother but a Colonel as well?

If she was let in, she'd spend the rest of her days as ghost, like she had been as a child. She'd haunt the halls and not make a sound. She'd cook dinner and clean and exist in the only way it would be acceptable for her to. Never argue. Never question. Keep far out of the way when her father was hitting the sauce, again. At night Sarah would find herself dreaming of a woman who hated her and wondering when they would find her and execute her for her crimes.

That was not a life at all and Sarah knew it.

Death was Sarah's only guaranteed way out of this. She had to kill Roy and then herself…

**_"Father….?" _**

**_There was a long, Earth shattering pause. For a moment she felt herself falling ill again and she clutched onto the wall for balance. She peered, patiently into the darkened room but she would not enter. She had learned her mistake and she would no longer misbehave._**

**_There was the sound of a half-drunken groan; he was awake but barely. His mind was still swirling from last night's fill of liquor._**

**_"Where are you going, Sarah?" he demanded as if he still had the proper cognition to punish her, should she answer him incorrectly. He had done his damage to her well enough last night and Sarah was not aiming for a round two._**

**_"To school, father. It's Monday." _**

**_He groaned again but out of confusion. He seemed to have lost track of time. He had been going at the bottle more than he usually did; symptoms such as these were to be expected. Sarah's arm began to throb but she said nothing. She held it close to her side and hoped that her makeshift suture would hold up but the throbbing only persisted. _**

**_"I left your breakfast on the table." _**

**_Nothing more came from his mouth and Sarah backed away slowly and left her house. _**

**_Outside the air was scorching hot and she could feel the sun sending its harsh rays down onto her and they cooked their way through her improper attire. _**

**_She was uncomfortable in the long sleeved sweater but it was her fault for getting hurt like that and she could not have anyone know what had happened. Her father hadn't been himself; he had been upset and so he had gone straight to the liquor cabinet after work. _**

**_You would think that after sixteen years of living that Sarah would have come to understand that she had no right to meddle in her father's affairs or to even think of taking away more of the things that made him happy. _**

**_Drinking made him happy, or so that's what he would say. He didn't do it every night and as long as Sarah stayed in her room everything was okay. It was her fault. Her father had every right to grab his knife._**

**_The throbbing sensation in her arm began to intensify. She unintentionally started to dig at where her father had cut her but as she did she realized that it was opening up once more and the thread was coming out. _**

**_The throbbing was replaced by sharp stinging as her flesh started to separate, allowing the blood to jut its way out of the wound and run wildly down her arm. She bit back the cry which swelled in her throat. There were people around her, heading off to work and she could not allow them to see her in such pain. They couldn't know._**

**_Her father had never done this to her before. He was strict and distant but never had he attacked her…but she was the instigator…he was innocent in all of this…she wasn't…_**

**_She slipped inside an alleyway and promptly rolled up her sleeve. She would be late for school; it would tarnish her record of being the sweet little girl who kept to herself and always tried her hardest to succeed. _**

**_Sarah enjoyed possessing such an image because it was the most beautiful lie that she had ever told. She wasn't sweet; she was a murderer. She had killed her own mother…and another as well. _**

**_She attacked her own puffy flesh. The red thread that she had used the night before was being lost in the blood. It had been the only thread left in the house and she could not leave to go to the hospital. It would have only showed just how insolent she could be._**

**_It wasn't his fault…it wasn't his fault…it wasn't…._**

**_Last night after her father had slashed her, she thought that she might die and there was no one around to tell her otherwise. Her mind had spun the situation into something far greater than what it was. Her wound wasn't that deep, there wasn't a pool of blood underneath her feet, and she was imaging those black spots in her vision. _**

**_He would never try to kill her…he had bore the burden of caring for her for sixteen years there was no reason to kill her now._**

**_It hurt. It burn. It stung. She would not stop; not until it was numb. _**

**_There and then in her frantic state, she paused and looked up to find a woman standing before her. She was older, Sarah guessed maybe 30? She bore auburn colored curls that were small and in great multitudes and she was wearing a nurse's uniform. _**

**_Sarah instinctively tried to move away from here, while her brown eyes watched the woman cautiously. Without a word the woman knelt down and brought Sarah's arm gently closer to her. _**

**_Her eyes were fixed on the cut and she seemed to already know that it traveled up farther than what she could see. She pulled Sarah's sleeve up ever higher and saw that the cut began at the very top of her arm._**

**_"You stitched this up yourself."_**

**_It wasn't a question but Sarah still answered._**

**_"Yes." _**

**_"It's infected. Come on, I'll take you to the hospital." _**

**_Sarah drew back again. She couldn't let anyone know. It was one night and it would never happen again. She would behave herself; she would never let her mind get the best of her. _**

**_"No…no…I can't…" She heard herself tripping over her words and stopped speaking altogether. _**

**_The woman seemed to understand all at once why she was so hesitant to be assisted. _**

**_"Don't worry; I work at the Military Hospital. I'll clean up your wound and no one will ever know." _**

**_The thought of total anonymity enticed her, as did the look that this woman gave her. Sarah thought for a moment that it might be the way a mother looks upon their child. _**

**_Holding tightly to her bloodied wrist, Sarah pushed herself up. The woman smiled._**

**_"…won't….won't you get in trouble?" She knew that civilians were not allowed to be treated at military run hospitals, unless they had been wounded by enemy combatants. _**

**_She didn't respond to this, as though Sarah's health mattered more to her than the consequences of treating a civilian. _**

**_"What's your name?" the woman asked_**

**_"Sarah Colt."_**

**_"Well Sarah, I'm Christine Hastings."_**

Listening carefully Sarah could make out the faint sound of footsteps coming closer to her doorway. It struck her as odd for by now she knew the comings and goings of those guarding the holding center and they were all men but these footsteps came with the unmistakable sound of high heels.

Sarah placed her now well wrinkled letter under her pillow and inched towards the bars of her cell.

Peering outward at a rather uncomfortable angle, she beheld a sigh of which she never thought she'd ever see.

"Sheska?"

Sheska and one of the guards, who had been posted near her cell, came walking towards her. Sarah tried to read Sheska's face but she was failing. Yes she appeared nervous and perhaps a tad overwhelmed but this was Sheska, she was always a fretful thing.

_'Please don't hate me…please…not you too.'_

When they reached Sarah's cell the guard addressed Sheska and warned her to stay away from the bars and that her time there was to be kept brief.

The guard then walked away but Sarah knew that he would be watching them the whole while.

She slowly prepared herself a lovely false smile but upon coming into contact with Sheska, she slipped up.

Sheska could plainly see the weariness in her eyes and the curved line that she thought was a "lovely smile" was nothing more than a twitch of her lips. Sarah didn't want to lie to her but she could not spill out the whole of the truth to her either.

"What happened?" she asked with great concern.

She said, "Haven't you heard? I've gone crazy." Saying that word out loud stung more than she thought it would.

_'Is that what I am...crazy?' _

There was something dubious about Sheska visiting her. It wasn't that she didn't trust Sheska but something was defiantly off. Sarah knew that she hadn't been cleared for having visitors and more importantly visitations were traditionally held in a separate room; somewhere a tad more private.

"I'm glad that you're here." Her lips curved upwards again, "I really am but I have to ask why?"

Sheska was surprised by such a question, "Because I'm worried about you, everyone is. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes found out that you haven't been eating; that's why I was allowed to come and see you."

Ah! There is was the full measure of the truth. This was no ordinary visit, this was an inspection. Sarah was thankful for Sheska's honesty, of course but this meant that she could not give her the same level of honesty or it would come back to bite her. Sarah was used to lying, though.

Sarah noticed how Sheska was just standing there with her horribly awkward stance; someone had clearly informed her of all that had happened and although Sheska was troubled by Sarah's predicament, she was equally troubled by all that she had done.

How much did they tell you?"

Something must have clicked in Sheska's mind for in spilt second she was off connecting the tiny fragmented dots out loud.

"Oh no you…you got the idea from the book I gave you; 'The Art of Confidence'." Horror claimed Sheska as she came to realize that she had played a part in all of this. "I…I…I told you that book didn't know what it was talking about. I'm sorry if it gave you the wrong idea…"

That was exactly what Sarah was trying to avoid; people blaming themselves for her actions. Yes, that book had opened up a locked away part of herself but that was the point; that horrible bold part had always been there. It had only needed the proper opportunity to escape into the open.

Falling in love had caused her to desire something for herself, for the first time and hearing her love laughing with another had driven her to madness.

Their laughing.

Their kissing.

Their twisted past.

"No Sheska…that's not why I did what I did."

She tried to put into words that a rational person might understand.

She tried to put into words that a rational person might understand.

"Have you…have you ever witnessed something horrible happen to a person you loved?"

To Sarah's surprise, Sheska responded with, "Yes, my mother."

"Your mother?" Sarah repeated, the words not entirely connecting in her mind.

"Yes…"

Sarah had for a moment forgotten her train of thought as something new had entered her mind.

"I've never had a mother…." There she went lying as she always did and it felt so wrong. Why did it feel so wrong? She had lied to Riza and Maria about this matter as well and it had not fazed her.

Sarah had known her mother, once…long, long ago

She jumped at Sheska with such eagerness, "Did your father beat her? Did he make you watch?"

Sheska was baffled by her sudden intensity.

"No…no…it was nothing like that."

And so while Sarah stood and lied about her mother and hid all of her horrible thoughts and plans away from the last human being who believed that she was but an innocent gone astray, Sheska spoke the truth of her mother and her life with all the honest shyness of a young child.

"Well you see when I was a baby my father left my mother, so it was always just the two of us. My mother was a school teacher and she would read to me every night and most of the time she read from books that were meant for adults. They were fascinating stories of love and deception, knights and battle, detectives and gruesome murders. She was so proud of how I would memorize everything. Every last word."

She paused for a moment her face oozing out pure nostalgia and joy.

"It was just the two of us and our growing book collection."

The joy began to fad and trepidation returned with a vengeance and sorrow.

"Then she started forgetting things. They were small things like forgetting to turn off the light or locking the front door. I've never forgotten anything but I was told that it was natural to forget a few things, especially when you get older. Then she started forgetting important things like to turn the oven off and how to read."

Another pause came and went. Sarah was still entranced by her words but could tell that she had caused Sheska to think of very painful things. There was no stopping her, though. She had to continue.

"I knew that she was getting sicker but I didn't want her to be in a hospital. I thought that since I was her daughter that I could take care of her just like she took care of me. I was the one reading the stories and cooking her meals. I could do it. One day I came home from my job at the library. I opened the door and my mother was standing there holding a frying pan and she tried to hit me. She didn't know who I was anymore."

Despite knowing that there was a guard but mere feet away from her cell, Sarah reached out and lightly cupped Sheska's hand for the briefest of moments.

"I'm sorry…I didn't know."

Sarah released Sheska's hand before the guard could take notice. Her previous thought process had returned to her.

"There was someone who was very much like a mother to me…"

**_As it turned out, it was only Christine's third day of working as a nurse in the Pendleton Military Hospital, for she had only recently moved into town. That was why Sarah had never seen her around before. _**

**_Sarah sat on an empty cot while Christine tending to her cut. As she went to open the peroxide, Sarah took notice of a small bruise that blemished Christine's wrist but she said nothing. It didn't mean anything; nothing at all._**

**_"This is going to sting a bit." Christine warned but Sarah merely gave a slight nod but not to her words but rather to the comforting sound of her voice. _**

**_Was there such a thing as gentle strength? If so, Christine certainly possessed a great deal of it._**

**_Once her cut was cleaned out thoroughly, she began to stitch it up. Sarah watched Christine's suturing skills and took note of what she had done wrong, which had first led it to become infected. Though it pained her greatly, she did her upmost not to cry out. _**

**_When Christine had finished, Sarah was finally able to speak, "Thank you." She was slow to get the words out but when they were uttered, they were uttered with the greatest of sincerity. _**

**_"Sarah, I know you're scared" she began, "but you need to tell me who did this to you."_**

**_Sarah lowered her head and turned away from Christine's grasp but Christine pulled Sarah's chin upwards with her thumb and forced her to maintain eye contact. The sudden and overwhelming desire to run and hide crept up on Sarah but there was no where to go; she was trapped. _**

**_"…No one did anything to me…"_**

**_"I'm not an idiot. Tell me, who did this to you."_**

"Her name was Christine and she helped me out in so many different ways. She protected me. She gave me a place to go when my father…." Sarah was cautious but desperately wanted her to know. She had to let her know. "…when my father was drinking. She even set aside money for me; she did all she could to get me far away from Pendleton."

Christine had wanted to be soldier when she was a child and had been prepared to begin training, when she met Henry. He convinced her not to join up but instead to marry him. He was charming and witty and handsome. It had all been too much for the naïve and adventurous Christine to see through. So they married.

They had come to Pendleton from up north near Fort Briggs. Christine still yearned to be close to the battlefield and so she took her training as a nurse and brought it to the front lines to help the injured soldiers.

Despite not being able to don an eppulate or medals, she was still a soldier and brave one at that, for she was actively involved in a war all on her own.

Only nobody knew.

"She was protecting me but I couldn't even see what was happening to her. All of those bruises and scars and I still couldn't see a thing. One day when I was 17, I went to her house, like I always did and there were all of these people croweded up outside. She had died. They brought her body out of the house and before they could cover her up, I saw the bruises around her neck. They said it was an accident. They said that she fell down the stairs and broke her neck. I know he did it. I knew then and I know it now."

Sarah tugged upon her arm.

"That's why I did what I did. I found out that someone I love was being abused and I couldn't have their lives end like Christine's had. I had to keep them safe, even if it meant breaking the law."

Sheska was about to ask what any of that had to do with stalking Riza, when she was pulled away by the guard, who told her that her time was up.

As Sheska was being led away, Sarah called out to her, "Goodbye."

It felt final and definate.

Sarah had wanted to be honest with Sheska but she didn't want too much information getting through to

Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. Sheska had claimed him to be a trustworthy and kind man but Sarah failed to see how that could be true with him being friends with Mustang.

Feeling guilty about not opening up with Sheska, despite it being the last time she would ever speak to her again. She made a request for more paper and pen.

She would say goodbye properly and give her one and only friend the absolute truth.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>**I hope no one was too OOC and that bit about Sarah's mother will be shown later on. **

**I hope you were all able to tell where the flashbacks began and ended. I worked them in like that to show that Sarah's mind is flipping around quite a bit to accommodate her delusions. **

**Just to clarify Roy and Riza didn't breakup. Trust me they are now and will forever be together. It's just she has to be the responsible one and make sure he doesn't get killed and she figures that the best way to do this is to watch over him but from more of a distance. Plus I'm sure she doesn't want to piss off Sarah anymore than she already is. **

**I was extremely tempted to have Hughes talk to Sarah for a bit and show off his family photos but I decided against it. I've got something much better in mind *insert evil laugh* **

**Thank you: YesMyLord666, writer's legend 1, Mill Qs, Fmalover07, The Jade Empress, Guest, anon, XxXPeaceReaperXxX, Dragonfire Alchemist, WhiteFang72, .front, Grizz Lee, Anonymousgal, Brook Uchiha-Spark Alchemist, Yaiiiina, theowlinsomniac**

**Special Thanks to: Chain-Of-Souls for being awesome and pretty much nailing Sarah's past; go you! I like it when people make predictions about my stories.**

**And to Sammygirl1209 for giving me my 100th review, you have no idea how much that means to me! **

**Join us next time as Sarah makes her great escape **


	11. Escape:EDITED

_Dear Sheska,_

_Before you came to visit me, I had already written all that I thought should be written and then I realized that I have been unfair to you and that so much more needed to be said. To begin with, while I did borrow "The Art of Confidence", I also took another book. It was a book on lock picking. It was wrong of me to take it without permission and in hindsight it was wrong to even think of putting such techniques to use. Both of these books can be found in my living room on the coffee table. Please take them back and forgive me._

_This is not an opportunity to blame yourself again. I will not have it. I've lied to you Sheska; I've lied to a great many people. I am all too used to it but I want to be honest. Above all else I want someone to understand._

_I lied about my mother. I did know her. I did hold her. I loved her. I'm sure of it. What child wouldn't love their mother? I never meant to harm her. I didn't, I swear I didn't. It seems that no matter where I go I can cause such pain and destruction and not see until it is too late. Death follows me because I cheated it._

_When my mother gave birth to me, she almost died and I wasn't breathing when I came out. She wasn't meant to have children. Her body was like a death trap, not a place to foster a developing baby. The doctor called me a miracle and warned my parents never to have another child because I had weakened her. I knew her for the first two years of my life as well as any two year could know their mother._

_Then it happened. Despite the doctor's warning my mother became pregnant again. Neither she nor what would have been my brother, made it out alive. I had killed them both._

_Christine had tried to convince me that I hadn't. She told me that I needed to get away. I needed to have a goal for myself; something I wanted more than anything else. I had no goals. I had no dreams. What I had was a world of soldiers all around me and battlefield that was never far away. After Christine's death, I forged my father's signature and ran off to boot camp in the middle of the night and never looked back._

_When I saw Riza for the very first time, I saw someone who possessed a quiet strength, a tactful beauty and poise and a mind as sharp as her shooting skills. It was in her that I found my dream. I can not say how I uncovered that something terrible was happening to her but when I knew, when I saw it, I could only think of the abuse that Christine had endured. I couldn't let her die too. I couldn't stand to lose anyone else._

_My actions were illegal, immoral, and unbecoming of a soldier of Amestris._

_Having received this letter, I am sure that you are more than aware that I intend to continue this trend of debauchery but please know that I do it with the very best of intentions._

_I won't be coming back from this and as you are my only friend, I leave to you any and all assets upon my death._

_I thank you for simply being someone for me to talk with. You need to stop putting yourself down all the time. Your skill with memory and love of books is something to be proud of. You deserve to be happy._

_I hope that one day the doctors can find a cure for your mother's condition and you two can go back to the once tightly knitted bond that you once held._

_I'm glad I knew you,_

_Sarah_

When Sarah was done writing her last letter on this Earth, she tucked it underneath her pillow. She couldn't bear to look at it or worse yet, reread it. It marked her final destination and she didn't want to have to think about it anymore. The closer her impending doom was, the more anxious she became.

Night had fallen and with it, the darkness had come to envelop her cell. The moon was high in its fully circular stage. Sarah longed to see a glimpse of starlight but this was Central and no light could be found passed the luminescence of the streetlamps.

Sarah was still in Central's holding cells, rather than an actual prison. Apparently there had been a recent surge of over crowding and they had yet to find an open cell to place her in. This had worked well to Sarah's advantage. There was only one thing left to do; escape.

Sarah rolled back her sleeve. She felt over the bumpy and tarnished flesh, thinking back to Christine and wondering briefly if she would approve of what she was doing.

_**"I'm not an idiot. Tell me, who did this to you."**_

"Mustang did this to me. Mustang is responsible for all of it."

She clenched her teeth to stop herself from screaming as she dug her way deep into her own arm. She peeled off the scab that had formed and just kept at it. She was tugging and ripping herself apart until she could no longer take anymore of it and she wailed the throatiest, ear piercing cry that anyone has ever heard. All of her hate and bitterness swelled to the top and the blood pooled its way out of her arm and drizzled down onto her pants and onto the floor.

Two men who had been posted to watch over her and the other prisoners came running towards the sounds of her cries and were horrified to find her in such a state.

Frazzled by the sight of the blood, one man called to the other as he fiddled with the key trying to open her cell.

"Get the medic!" he screamed

The other went flying down the hall in the opposite direction.

The man entered Sarah's cell and rushed towards her, unsure as what to do. This was her chance and so she took it.

Sarah saw the gun in the man's holster and with dexterity, she swiped it right off of him and before he could tell that it was missing, it was already pointed at his face.

* * *

><p>The guard lay writhing around in agony at Sarah's feet. Sarah still held onto his gun and kept it directed at him as she struggled to catch her breath. It hadn't been the most intelligible idea but it had worked thus far and she knew that it would be the quickest way out. The only problem was trying to escape completely without passing out first.<p>

The guard, who she had shot in left hip, was trying to prevent his own blood from leaking through.

"Take off your jacket." She could hear her fellow inmates shouting and getting all riled up from the gunshot that had but moments ago gone off.

"You bitch!" He spat at her.

There were footsteps approaching. The other guard was returning with the medic.

She pointed the gun at his forehead, "Take off your jacket or I'll shoot you again."

There was no time for her to fully address what she had just said. This wasn't her. This was fierce anger and the deathly passion of insanity.

The man did as he was told. Sarah picked up the military jacket, tore off the sleeve and tied it tightly around her arm. This makeshift tourniquet would have to do for now. There was no time. She had to get out of there.

Sarah put on the rest of the torn jacket and held the gun close to her. She ran out of the cell and down the hallway. The inmates were cheering her on from every angle, the guard and the medic had spotted her but where soon distracted by the wounded guard in her cell. The shouts rose up around her from every point and the adrenaline kicked her legs into overdrive. Oh what bliss! What sheer erratic bliss!

When she ran down the stairs, trying to get out of the building there were shots coming at her from those who had once been her allies. She ducked and dodged them as best she could, running, and panicking, and never once daring to slow down or look back or even to think of where she was headed. She could feel her heart getting ready to burst out of her chest and she could picture the arteries growing and contacting and aching and the red liquid that filled her pushing its way out fight to break free from the flesh of her miserable form. Yes, she was getting closer. Yes, she was shooting back and hitting and missing and gasping for air. Before she knew it, she was passed the front gates. All of the chaos was left behind her. She herself had only been barely missed.

She kept going.

* * *

><p>Maes Hughes was sleeping soundly in bed; unaware that anything was amiss. Beneath the covers he held tightly to Gracia, whose head rested perfectly upon his chest and moved up and down, slowly and steadily, as he breathed. Her light brown hair touched and scratched against his stubbly beard.<p>

Then the phone rang.

Hughes' sensitive ears picked up on the sound and his hand moved almost as fast to pick up the receiver. Gracia nuzzled deeper into his chest; an unconscious move brought on by her desire to keep him safe and at home.

"Hello? This is Lieutenant Colonel Hughes." He was groggy but alert

As the officer on the other side of the line spoke, Hughes sat up in bed. This caused Gracia to awaken.

"I see. Get as many men as you can to survey the area, hopefully she hasn't gone too far. I'll be down there as soon as I can."

He hung up. Gracia released him from their bed.

"Maes? What's happening?"

"It seems that Riza was right to have Roy stay here with us…"

* * *

><p>Hughes got dressed with speedy precision and marched his way into the living room, where he found Roy still asleep on the couch. His feet were dangling over the sides.<p>

Hughes turned on the lights and shook Roy awake.

"Come on, Roy. We've got to go."

Roy squeezed his eyes shut tightly and yawned a bit, "Hughes? What are you doing?"

"Roy," Stated Hughes somberly, "Sarah Colt has escaped."

Roy stood at attention all at once, "When?"

"About thirty minutes ago."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier!" Roy went right over to the phone, prepared to call Riza to inform her of these new developments.

"I would have." Hughes stressed "But they didn't call me until just now. It seems that on her way out her injured many people. Naturally they were far too busy making sure that everyone else was alright."

Roy shook his head angrily and picked up the receiver.

It was then that they heard the approaching sound of little feet, hitting against the wood floors. A light yawn came from down the hall and into the living room stepped out Elicia. She had been awoken from her dreams.

She rubbed her eyes gingerly, "Daddy? Why are you dressed for work?

"Oh sweetie, you shouldn't be up at this hour." He really hated meant to wake her up too. Her sleep schedule was sure to be damaged by his recklessness.

"I have to go catch a bad person but I'll be back later. In the mean time, you need to go back to sleep."

At the same time Roy was speaking to Riza. Hughes could hear broken up bits of their conversation but his focus was elsewhere. "She's broken out. Hughes and I are heading over to the Central Holding facility. I need you to meet you there. Please, keep your guard up."

Elicia shook her head as Gracia came into the room.

"Uh-uh, I'm going to wait till you get back."

"Elicia," Gracia spoke, "Your daddy won't be back for a while and you need to get your sleep."

Roy had gone to get dressed and before Hughes knew it, he was ready to go. Hughes looked at his wife and daughter with great reluctance. It was after all his fault that Elicia had been awoken and if he had the time he would have read to her or sang to her, anything to make sure she would sleep well that night.

But there was no time and he would have to leave Gracia to handle it.

* * *

><p>Sarah was still going; still running around with feverish anxiety. Her blood loss had seemed to slow and it cracked and crusted around the torn jacket sleeve. Her mouth had gone dry so time ago and she was now gasping for the freshness of the cool night air, which stung and iced the sweat falling from her brow and neck.<p>

Sarah felt herself swaying to the indecipherable rhythm of her erratic heartbeat. She was too afraid to look behind her. Had she left a trail of blood behind, somewhere back in the distance? Did it truly matter?

She turned off into an alleyway and fled into the damp and dirty passage way. Coming to an abrupt halt, she allowed her knees to give way and before she could catch herself, she felt her whole body give way.

She lay there on the naked ground; her clammy hands felt around for a pulse, while her head spun and knocked about. She was alive…for now.

Oh as terrible as it was Sarah felt in that moment like she could curl up into a little ball and sleep and never wake up…or if she did wake up Christine would be there. She had, after all, first found her there in an alleyway very similar to this one.

Sarah laughed faintly, "Oh Christine, I promise I won't sleep here. I'm being silly and you know it. You were silly too once, that's why you're not here anymore."

She laughed a little bit louder as she pictured herself there with Christine, like it was all a perfectly ordinary conversation.

Sarah put her palms to the ground and began pushing herself upwards while bile came dangerously close to exiting her throat. Swallowing it all back in deeply, her body swayed as she came to her knees.

"I have to save her. I have to save Riza. You'd like her Christine, you really would."

Sarah dusted off her hands on her pant leg and adjusted her makeshift tourniquet. Clutching steadily to the wall of the alleyway, she began to pull herself up.

"She's everything I could never be. She's everything you could have been if you never met him."

She stood at last.

"That's why she has to make it out of this okay. She's the only one in all of this that deserves to."

Sarah knew that before she could do anything to help Riza, she'd have to make a stop off somewhere to stitch herself up. She looked down at her pants and finally noticed that there were holes in them. Pulling her pant legs up, she saw that she had several gashes on her legs, from were the bullets had grazed her.

"Christine? If you're there…somewhere...please be kind to me, if you can still be. I need a sign. I need somewhere to go. I need help."

Sarah came out of the darkness and stepped into the full view of a near by street lamp. She looked up and across the way. She saw a light on in one of the apartments and in that apartment window; she could make out the faintest etching of what appeared to be a small girl.

"What is a little girl doing up so late? Christine…do you think that maybe she's just as alone as I am?"

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you: Fmalover07, Chain-Of-Souls, writer's legend, Ink Tsubasa, Can'tTakeTheSky, YesMyLord666, Brook Uchiha-Spark Alchemist<strong>

**EDIT: I just wanted to let you all know that I'm back on working on this. I thank you for your patience and your continued support.  
><strong>


	12. Author's Note

**Hello loyal viewers and fellow fanfiction members. I normally don't do this and I will delete this little note when I can post the real chapter 12. I have the chapter all written up but I've recently moved a great distance and I am unsure as to when my internet will be connected and therefore am unable to publish it at this time. I write this to you from my phone. Please remain patient until I get my internet. **

**Thank you all and have a wonderful day! **


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